Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Stardust: Legends Unleashed
by AuraFighter23
Summary: Something is wrong in the Pokémon world. The legends haven't been seen in years and now they are suddenly popping up. What does this mean and how is it connected to the dark wells? DJ and Team Stardust is back to find answers, but are they prepared to face the legends themselves? Sequel to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Stardust. Rated T for language and mild violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A New Adventure Begins

A Weavile dashed through the underbrush of Darklight Forest. He was covered in scratches and bruises, and looked like he had been in a fight. His eyes shifted around wildly as if looking for something, though all he could see was the dark purple trees that grew in the forest. The Weavile looked behind him fearfully before dashing off further into the forest.

As the Weavile stumbled through the forest he constantly looked behind him, fearful of whatever was behind him. While he was looking back he tripped over a protruding tree root and fell flat on his face. He grumbled incoherently as he got up and got ready to run again. However, he never got the chance as a barrage of seeds shot from the forest and slammed into his back.

The Weavile gave a cry of pain as he was hit by the attack and could not stop himself from falling back to the ground. He quickly rolled on his back, wincing slightly when the ground touched his injured back, and looked at his assailant. From the shadows a fairly tall, green gecko-like Pokémon walked out into the open. The Pokémon had a red underbelly, three leaves on each arm, one on its head, and two on its tail bone, acting as tails. The Pokémon regarded the prone Weavile with cold yellow eyes.

"There is nowhere left for you to go," the Pokémon said stoically. "Give up now."

"Never!" the Weavile shouted defiantly, pushing itself to its feat. He glared at the green with unbridled fury and brought his claws together. An ice blue orb began to form in the Weavile's claws and slowly grew in size. The Weavile gave the stoic Pokémon a feral grin. "Let's see how you handle an ice shard, you damn Grovyle!" Before he could throw his ice shard at the Grovyle, and orb of water flew from deeper in the forest and impacted the ball of ice, detonating it. The Weavile was sent flying back from the explosion and slammed into a tree with a grunt. "What the hell..?"

"Sorry, but I can't let you hurt my teammate," a female voice said. A blur of blue came from a tree and landed beside the Grovyle. This Pokémon was a blue frog-like Pokémon, with her head and hands being a darker blue color. Around her neck was what appeared to be a scarf made of foamy white bubbles. Like her companion, the Pokémon had yellow eyes, though hers held amusement and slight irritation.

The Grovyle turned to the newcomer and frowned slightly. "I did not require assistance."

"I know," she said. "but it would be boring if I just sat back and let you have all the fun."

"Must you be so childish?" he sighed.

"Hey! I'm not childish! Besides, you know that _he_ would say the same thing if he caught up with us!"

"True..." he trailed of as he saw the Weavile attempting to crawl away. The Grovyle shot another bullet seed attack right in front of the Weavile, forcing the Weavile to stop in its tracks. "You are not going anywhere."

"Dammit," the Weavile growled and pushed himself to his feet and glaring at the duo. "I won't be beaten like this!"

"Dude, no offense, but you're already beaten," the blue Pokémon said, gesturing to the obvious injuries that the Weavile had all over his body. "All it would take is one more super effective attack to finish you off."

"Well I doubt a Grovyle and a Frogadier will be able to do that," he responded cockily, trying to act intimidating.

"Well it's a good thing that we're not the ones that you should be worried about," the Frogadier said, looking behind the Weavile with a smirk.

The Weavile gave her a confused look before looking behind him. He was shocked to see that a short blue bipedal dog-like Pokémon with an overly large tail, about a foot shorter than himself, had snuck up behind him. The Pokémon was covered in blue fur except for his torso, legs, and face, which were black in color. The black fur around his face was shaped like a domino mask with two teardrop appendages hanging from the sides of his face. The Weavile paled when he recognized the Pokémon as a Riolu. A fighting type.

The Pokémon smiled cheekily at the Weavile, its unusual silvery-blue eyes filled with mischief. "Hello," he said. Before the Weavile could react the Pokémon lunged forward and put his paw on the Weavile's stomach. "and goodbye!"

Before the Weavile could react, a light came from the Riolu's paw and a blast of energy was expelled from his paw, sending the Weavile flying through the air. The Weavile slammed into another tree with a dull thud and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," the Riolu commented.

"I agree with you there, Alpha," the Grovyle commented, moving to stand next to the Riolu. "For all that running, he really was not that powerful."

The Riolu sighed wearily. "How many times have I told you not to call me that"

"Exactly two hundred and seven times," the now named Grovyle said.

"Then stop calling me that!"

"As I have said before, calling you anything other than Alpha would be inappropriate," Leaf said.

"Just stop arguing with him, DJ," the Frogadier said, placing a hand on the Riolu's shoulder. "You know how stubborn Leaf is about this kind of thing."

"Like you are one to talk about stubbornness, Katara," Leaf said. His face was stoic but his tone had a hint of playfulness in it.

"Hey!" Katara shouted indigently. She then crossed her arms and grumbled, "I think I liked you better when you were a robot."

Leaf's only response was a small, smug smile. "Come on guys," DJ said, pulling out a circular white badge with two golden wings on the sides. It had on small blue button on the front and a rather large gold gem in the center. "We need report back that we've captured the Meowth burglar, Vile the Weavile."

"Right," Leaf and Katara said in unison.

=Legends=

"Good job you three," Tobias said as he reviewed their mission report.

"Thank you sir," DJ said. "To be honest, the mission was no that difficult."

"Good, expect nothing less from a gold rank team, though do not become arrogant. You must be sure that you do not underestimate an opponent."

"Yes, sir," the three members of Team Stardust chorused.

The Gallade then smiled at the trio. "Good, now run along you three." The trio nodded and turned to leave their guild master's office. "And tell that son of mine to call his mother! She worries!" Tobias called after them.

DJ and Katara snickered silently when they heard this while Leaf grinned. They promised to relay the message, in front of the entire team, and left Tobias' office and the guild building.

As they walked through the town towards their guild home, DJ could not help but think about the events of the past month. After the Battle of the Tower and Cecil departure from this world, Team Stardust was promoted to gold rank for their commendable performance during the battle and stopping the dark well from activating. After about two weeks of recovering from the battle, all of the teams began taking missions again like normal. On one of those missions, Leaf, after facing several fire types, had evolved into a Grovyle, leaving DJ and Blade the only members of the team that have the ability to evolve, but have not.

He looked towards his two teammates and smiled fondly. Out of all of Team Stardust, Leaf had changed the most. Soon after the battle, Leaf had begun to 'lighten up' and, instead of his normal stoic attitude, he smiled more. While he was still stoic the majority of the time, he did make jokes, mainly at Katara's expense. When questioned about this he claimed, "Her reactions are amusing", and the subject was dropped.

The only other member that had made a significant change was Asura. After Jet had rejoined the team, Asura had become happier and a lot less uptight. He no longer pointed out the shortcomings of the team and actually smiled, especially when Jet was around. DJ was truly happy for his leader. He was happy for all of his team.

DJ sighed pensively. After his sister had left DJ had times where he would have no motivation to do anything. He would just sit in his room and mourn his forgotten life. The rest of the team tried helped when anyway they could, but the two in front of him helped the most by just being constants in his new life. Out of the whole team, DJ felt closer to these two specifically. Despite Leaf refusing to call him by his name. They were both like siblings to the human turned Riolu and he would not trade them for anything.

"DJ!" Katara shouted, shocking DJ out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" DJ said.

"We've been trying to get you're attention for the past five minutes," Katara said in concern. "Are you okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine," DJ said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about my time here."

"Oh," Katara said. Before she could say more, a blue and beige blue shot past her and tackled DJ to the ground.

"Oof!" DJ said as he fell to the ground. When the world stopped spinning he saw that the blur was a young Cyndaquil. "Furno?"

"DJ!" Furno shouted as he hugged DJ around his midsection. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, but could you let me up?" Furno shook his head in DJ's fur and refused to let go. DJ sighed good-naturedly and picked up the Cyndaquil, causing him to squeal in delight.

"Furno," a voice chided. Looking towards the direction of the voice, the trio saw two Typhlosion approaching with rather amused looks on their faces. "What have we told you about running off."

"Not to," the young Cyndaquil chirped, though he did not sound sorry. He then turned his attention back to his surrogate brother. "Guess what? Guess what?!"

"What?"

"I learned how to shoot fire from my back! Wanna see?!" Before DJ could answer, Furno took a deep breath and flames shot out of his back.

"Wow! That's really cool," DJ said, shifting Furno in his arms so that he would not burn his paws.

"Thanks!" Furno said, extinguishing his flames. "Mama and Daddy said that I'll be able to learn to use fire attacks in a few months!"

"That's amazing!" DJ said, smiling at the young fire type.

"Come now, Furno," Furno's mother said. "We have to get home and get a start on dinner."

"Okay, Mama!" Furno said, jumping from DJ's paws and running towards his parents. "See you later, DJ!"

Furno's mother took little Furno's hands and the two Typhlosion gave the trio warm smiles before departing down the street.

"It's good to see everyone finally falling back into their normal routine," Katara said.

"Yeah," DJ said, smiling as Furno turned and waved at the trio.

"We should head back," Leaf said.

"Yeah, can't miss out on an opportunity to embarrass Asura in front of everyone," DJ said evilly, rubbing his paws together in a sinister manner.

"Oh, DJ," Katara sighed, shaking her head at the Riolu's antics.

"What?" DJ asked innocently. "I just want to deliver Guildmaster Gallade's message."

Leaf smiled at the duo's interaction as the trio began to make their way to their guild house again.

=Legends=

 **Team Stardust's Guild House**

"We're back!" Katara called as she, Leaf, and DJ stepped into the lounge of their guild house. Upon entering the lounge the entirety of Team Stardust was there except for Blade.

"Hey guys," Blitz called from his place on the couch. "How was the mission?"

"Anticlimactic," DJ said, plopping down on one of the couches.

"Big word for a little pup," Bertha teased, earning a half-hearted glare from the Riolu.

"Hey, don't pick on DJ. You know his height is a bad topic for him," Grace added teasingly.

"What is it? Pick on DJ day?" DJ grumbled, sinking further into the couch. "Besides, it's not my fault I'm this size. All Riolu are the same size. Also, Blitz is smaller than me!"

"Hey! I've accepted the fact that I'm small and embraced it," Blitz said, puffing out his chest imperiously. Everyone laughed at the Pikachu's antics.

"All kidding aside, you shouldn't get cocky," Asura said seriously. "Becoming overconfident in battle can be catastrophic in a fight."

"I know, I know," DJ said. "Your dad said the same thing." He then gained a look on his face that practically spelled mischief. "He also said to call your mother because she worries about you."

This caused an immediate blush to form on the Medicham's face and caused the rest of the team to chuckle. Jet placed a hand/paw on Asura's shoulder and gave him a serious look. "Shame on you Asura!" he said. "You know how your mother worries! You go call her this instant!"

At this point, everyone, sans Asura, was bursting out in laughter. Asura smacked a now smiling Jet's hand away and grumbled something about 'teammates having no respect for their leader', which only caused everyone to laugh harder. Asura smiled, albeit a bit reluctantly, and eventually joined in the laughter. DJ was glad for this as Asura would rarely smile in the past. All that changed when Jet rejoined the team. The Floatzel had been a positive influence on the their leader and DJ was grateful for this.

"What seems to be going on here?" Blade's voice rang out. The assembled Pokémon turned and were shocked to see instead of a seeing the mantis Pokémon they saw a crimson red Pokémon with a similar shape to a Scyther, orange eyes, and pincers instead of blades for hands standing next to Drake.

"Blade?!" Blitz asked, shocked. "You evolved?!"

"That's right," Blade said, striding into the room and sitting down next to his brother, smirking at everyone's reactions. "I finally decided to get the metal coat treatment and evolve."

"But doesn't the treatment cost a lot of poké?" Jackson questioned.

"I've been saving up for a while," Blade answered, looking over his new pincers. "I'm going to have to get used to moving. I'm a lot heavier now."

"Wait, if you evolved then that means..." DJ trailed off before slumping over depressedly. "Aww, that means that I'm the only one that hasn't evolved at least once!"

"That's what you're upset about?" Blitz asked incredulously.

"Yes," DJ responded in a depressed tone.

"Drama queen," Katara joked.

"If it's any consolation, I haven't evolved either," Grace said.

"That's because you can't evolve," Blitz said. Grace glared at him.

"I'm trying to make him feel better."

"Don't Riolu evolve with friendship?" Bertha asked.

"Yeah," Katara said. "I think I read that in a book somewhere..."

"But if that was the case, then shouldn't he have evolved already," Jet asked. "I mean he is friends with all of you."

"Unless he's _not_ friends with us," Jackson said. He was clearly joking, but it was lost to DJ.

"Of course I'm your friend!" DJ said. "After all we've been through, how could you-"

"I was joking, DJ!" Jackson interrupted.

"Oh," DJ said, bushing slightly. "Sorry."

"Always jumping to conclusions," Katara said teasingly.

"But, if I'm supposed to evolve with friendship," DJ said, ignoring Katara's comment. "then why haven't I evolved already?"

"Maybe you can't due to you originally being a human," Bertha said bluntly.

"That would not make since," Leaf said. "Luke was able to evolve despite being human, so it would stand to reason that Alpha has the ability to evolve."

"Then why haven't I?" DJ asked again.

"Maybe Alistair knows something," Katara said.

"Yeah, that's right!" DJ exclaimed, jumping to his feat. "I bet he's knows something! Without another word, DJ ran from the lounge and towards Miracle Town.

"I'll follow him," Katara sighed, getting up and moving towards the exit.

"Make sure you're not out too long, we _do_ have plans tonight," Grace said.

Katara nodded and rushed to follow her teammate out the door.

=Legends=

DJ ran through the streets of Miracle Town, rushing towards Alistair's home. He finally stopped outside a simple one floor house located near the outskirts of the town. The only notable feature that the house possessed was the door mat, which had footprints of a Lucario and a Riolu stitched into it.

DJ rang the doorbell just as Katara caught up with him. "Jeez, DJ," Katara said, gasping for air. "Did you have to run the whole was here?"

"What? I was in a hurry," DJ said. He chuckled nervously when he saw the death glare that Katara was giving him. Thankfully, he was saved from Katara's wrath when the door opened, revealing Alistair.

"Gramps!" DJ said happily.

"DJ? What are you doing here?" the Lucario asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you normally don't come by here."

"Well you weren't at the training fields, so I had to run around and ask around to find out where you lived." Katara grumbled at this, having had to chase DJ all around town before they finally learned where Alistair lived. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" Alistair said, quirking an eyebrow. "And what do you want to know?"

"How do I evolve?"

"Ah. I was wondering when you would ask me that." Alistair pushed his door open and stepped to the side to allow the two members entry to his house. "Well come in. No point in just standing outside."

The two entered Alistair's house and took note of the layout. There was a small kitchen, a living room, three doors, one most likely leading to a bathroom, another to a bed room, and another for storage. The living room had a blue couch, two single, cushioned chairs of the same color sat on either side, and a slightly smaller couch opposite to the three seats. It too was blue. A television sat adjacent to the smaller couch with an analog clock sitting on top of it. In between the two opposing couches, there was a wooden coffee table. They also saw a few picture hanging around the room.

"Go ahead and have a seat, I was just making some tea. Would you like some?" Alistair asked.

"Yes, please," the duo responded.

The two sat on the larger couch and waited as Alistair bustled around the kitchen. As they waited, DJ looked at some of the pictures. He smiled when he saw one of him and Alistair. DJ remembered that that picture was taken shortly after Alistair started training him. DJ smiled at the memory and looked at some of the other pictures. He saw that the majority of the others were of Alistair, Guildmaster Tobias, Katara's dad, Surge, and a Gardevoir. Team SATE, if DJ remembered correctly.

He then saw something that made him freeze. It was a picture of Alistair and another Lucario. A Lucario with slightly darker fur and piercing red eyes that caused DJ to shiver. He knew those eyes anywhere. They were Luke's. It was a picture of Alistair and Luke.

"Here you go." DJ jumped slightly at Alistair's voice. Alistair walked over to the duo and handed them two cups of piping hot tea.

"Thank you," they chorused, accepting the cups.

"Now," Alistair said, sitting on the opposite couch with his own cup of tea. "You want to know how to evolve?"

"Yes," DJ said seriously. "I want to get stronger and evolution is the best way."

"While normally I would say that training will get you stronger, I have to agree with you," Alistair said, sipping his tea. "I have noticed it during our training sessions. You are beginning to reach the limit of your power as a Riolu."

"My limit?"

"You see, each pre-evolved Pokémon has a limit to how strong they can become before they have to evolve. Each Pokémon, even ones of the same species, has a different limit, but they will eventually reach it. When they reach that limit, they evolve."

"So I'll evolve when I reach my limit?"

"Not necessarily," Alistair said. "Some Pokémon have other requirements besides reaching their limit. Your friend Blitz is a perfect example of this. Pikachu like him need a thunderstone in order to evolve. Now, while he might reach his limit he cannot evolve until he comes into contact with said stone." He paused to take another sip from his tea. "He can also evolve before he reaches his limit by touching the stone. Riolu are similar."

"So DJ won't be able to evolve without reaching this requirement," Katara reasoned, drinking some of her tea. "But isn't the requirement for a Riolu to evolve into a Lucario friendship?"

Alistair chuckled lightly. "No, that's just an old wives tale."

"Then how do I evolve?" DJ asked impatiently.

Alistair gave him a reproachful look. "What have I said about patience?" DJ ducked his head and mumbled a quick 'sorry'. "That's okay, pup," Alistair said with a smile. "Anyway, Riolu do not evolve with friendship. If that was true, I would have evolved when I first joined Team SATE. The belief that Riolu evolve with friendship has been around for ages. No one knows where or when it started."

"Then what _does_ cause a Riolu to evolve?" Katara asked.

"The answer is simple. For a Riolu to evolve, they must break off the gold ring around their necks."

"Huh?" DJ and Katara said in confusion.

Alistair got up from his seat and moved towards the hallway and opened the third door that led to storage. When he came back he held a small brown box in his paws. He set it down in front of the duo and opened it. Looking inside Katara and DJ saw two pieces of a broken gold ring.

"This was the ring that I was born with when I was a Riolu," Alistair said, taking a seat again. "The gold ring around a Riolu's neck acts as a biological everstone that is formed when a Riolu is still in the egg. Breaking the ring is the only way for a Riolu to evolve into a Lucario."

"So a Riolu can only evolve when they break of their own ring?" Katara asked.

"Not exactly. A Riolu does not have to break the ring themselves. I have met several Lucario that evolved through the help of their friends. However, most Riolu end up breaking their own ring as it is something of a tradition to Riolu."

"Then I'll break my ring myself," DJ declared grasping the ring around his neck and pulled. And pulled. And pulled some more. "Grrrr! Why. Won't. You. Come. Off?!" With each word DJ gave another tug, but the ring did not even budge.

"Having fun there, DJ?" Katara giggled. DJ gave her the stink-eye, but said nothing. Finally, he threw his hands up in defeat.

"Gah! I can't do it!"

"That's okay, pup. You'll get it eventually," Alistair said reassuringly. "In order for a Riolu to break their ring by themselves, they have to reach the limit of their power. You just need to do some more training, then you'll be able to do it."

"Yeah, okay," DJ said dejectedly.

Alistair patted DJ's head and looked towards his clock. "Well it's getting late, you two should head back."

Both DJ and Katara looked at the clock as well and jumped to their feet upon noticing the time. "Crap, I didn't realize we were out so long!" Katara said.

"Asura's going to be mad," DJ said.

"I'll take you," Alistair offered. "I can tell Asura that I held you. That way you won't get in trouble."

"Thanks, Gramps!" DJ said thankfully, downing his now cooled tea.

"No problem," Alistair said kindly.

=Legends=

The sun had already set when the trio made it to Team Stardust's guild house. Upon arriving, they saw that all the lights were off.

"Crap, Asura's going to kill us," DJ groaned as he pushed open the door, Katara and Alistair trailing behind him.

When the entered, the entire house was pitch black. DJ was tempted to use his aura sight in order to see where he was going. This proved to be unnecessary as all of the lights clicked on and a loud boom rang out through the house. DJ immediately leapt back and got into a fighting stance, ready to fight whatever caused the explosion. He was startled however when he saw multicolored streamers fell from the ceiling.

"What the-?"

"SURPRISE!" DJ was once again shocked from combined shouts of several Pokémon. When his eyes finally adjusted to the lit room, he saw the rest of Team Stardust, Team Odd Squad, Team Sunflare, and Tobias all standing there with a large banner that read 'Happy Birthday DJ!'.

"Wh-what is this?" DJ asked, still reeling from his initial shock.

"You're surprise party," Katara said, moving to stand in front of her friend. "Since you don't remember when your birthday is, we decided that we would celebrate it on the anniversary of the day you came here."

"Anniversary? That means it's been a year already," DJ said pensively, brushing a stray streamer off the top of his head.

"Yep," Katara chirped. "Now, stop thinking. It's your party, so let's CELEBRATE!"

"WOOOO!" everyone shouted.

"FREE DRINKS!" Jackson shouted.

It was one in the morning when the party finally began to wind down and it took another hour for everyone that was not part of Team Stardust to trickle out of the house. The party was the most fun that DJ had had for months. He received numerous gifts from everyone ranging from a years supply of candy from Team Odd Squad, the TM Power-up Punch from Team Sunflare, a new set of weights from Alistair (who somehow managed to bring them without DJ noticing), a book about Pokémon types and their advantages from Tobias, and various seeds and berries meant for dungeon exploration courtesy of his own team members. The best gift, however, came from Katara. It was a photo album filled pictures depicting almost all of Team Stardust's adventures since DJ joined. This caused DJ to get a little misty-eyed and hugged Katara, much to her embarrassment. The rest of the party was full of laughter, games, cake, and 'free drinks'.

By the time the party was finished up, DJ was passed out on his bed, his new photo album clutched in his arms and a serene smile on his face. He was completely at ease, so at ease that he did not notice a shadowy figure appear in his room.

"Hmph, it is unsettling to think that such a small Pokémon was able to delay my plans," the figure said, frowning down at the sleeping Riolu. The figure then smiled cruelly. "Ah well, it matters not."

The figure raised a hand and the shadows formed by the moonlight seemed to lift off the ground and swirl around the figure's hand. It then pointed its hand at DJ's sleeping form and the shadows shot from his hand and covered DJ's body, blanketing him and shadows. DJ's form seemed to writhe as the shadows covered him, but made no sound.

The figure laughed evilly before fading out of existence. "Soon, darkness will engulf this world and no one will stand in my way," the figure's voice rang out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A Deceitful Mission

Morning soon came upon Team Stardust. Groggily, the members descended down the stairs, still reeling from the prior nights festivities. As they were heading towards the kitchen to get something to eat, the were stopped by a strange sound coming from their lounge. Moving towards the entryway of the lounge, they were greeted with the sight of their resident former human, thrashing on the ground, seemingly wrestling with himself.

"Why. Won't. You. Get. OF?!" DJ shouted, grabbing his neck and pulling on the collar.

"What's DJ doing?" Blitz asked.

"It looks like he's trying to choke himself," Jackson said.

"He's trying to evolve," Katara sighed exasperatedly.

"He has to choke himself to evolve?" Jet asked jokingly.

"No. He has to pull of the gold collar around his neck," Katara said. She then addressed DJ. "DJ, why are you trying that again? You tried that yesterday, what makes you think that will change overnight?"

DJ struggled for a few more seconds before, sighing and letting his arms drop. "I don't know, I though maybe it would work..."

Blitz walked past his fellow members and sat down next to DJ. "It's okay, DJ. You'll evolve someday," he says jokingly. As he says this, he pats DJ's head in a condoling manner. DJ merely gave the Pikachu a deadpan glare.

"Thank you, Blitz. That fills me with reassurance," he says sarcastically, causing Blitz laughed loudly.

"Okay, if you two are done being idiots," Asura interrupted. "We _do_ have missions for today."

"Sorry, Asura," Blitz and DJ chorused in unison.

"Good, now hurry up and get something to. We have a full day of missions ahead of us and I don't want you guys complaining," Grace said, moving towards the kitchen, the rest of the group following her.

"So, what missions do you have for us today?" Jet asked, grabbing an apple and taking a huge bite.

"I have chosen three missions for us today," Asura answered, pulling out a few berries.

"Only three?" Blitz asked, his mouth full of cereal.

"Yes, but each mission is S-rank."

"S-rank?" Grace said in surprise. "We've never taken S-rank missions before."

"Well I believe this is the perfect time to start," Asura said. "Since we are a new gold rank team, we need to make a name for ourselves and doing harder missions is the best way to do that."

"I'm pretty sure that we already made a name for ourselves after we stopped the dark well," DJ pointed out. "It was in the paper after all."

"True, but, despite our achievements, weare still only gold rank," Asura pointed out. "If we want to truly be the best, we need to reach master rank and to do that, we need to take higher ranked missions."

"I guess so," DJ relented.

"Anyway, the missions are capturing an outlaw, finding an item, and an escort mission," Asura said, pulling out three pieces of paper."

"What are the teams?" Bertha asked.

"The item retrieval mission will be handled by Drake, Blade Bertha, and Blitz."

"Seems like overkill," Blitz commented.

"The outlaw will be handled by myself, Jet, and Grace." Jet and Grace nodded their heads in understanding.

"And the final team will be DJ, Katara, Leaf, and Jackson," Asura finished, ignoring Blitz's comments.

"Sounds good, who are we escorting," Jackson asked.

"Read the paper and find out," Asura said, holding out the paper for Jackson. The paper became enveloped in a blue light as Jackson used psychic to pull the paper towards him. Setting the paper in front of him, Jackson read over the paper.

"We are escorting a Floette named Flora to Chrysolis," Jackson read.

"Chrysolis? That's like a three day trip!" Katara exclaimed.

"Yep, so be sure to pack plenty of food for you and the client." Grace said cheerfully. "I recommend stopping by Cana's storage to pick up some camping supplies as well as food."

"Right, so once you all finish up here, head out and show the world what Team Stardust can do!" Jet said.

"You do realize that I'm the leader, right?" Asura said, though there was a joking edge to his voice.

"Just giving everyone some inspiration," Jet says cheekily.

"Why do I deal with you," Asura sighed.

"Because you love me!" Jet shouts jokingly, wrapping an arm around Asura's shoulder.

"Get off me you big oaf!"

"Don't deny your feelings, Asura!" he joked.

"Jet," Asura growled threateningly.

"Search your feelings, Asura," Jet said in a false deep voice. "You know it to be true."

"My feelings are telling me to hit you with a thunder punch," Asura growled, holding up his fist. Electricity sparked around his raised fist, emphasizing the threat.

"No need for that," Jet said nervously, raising his hands/paws in defeat.

"Good," Asura huffed, dismissing the electricity from his fist. He then glared at his team, who were trying to contain their laughter, and gave them a look that said 'say anything and suffer'. "No you have your assignments, so get out there!"

"Yes, sir!" everyone shouted, rushing out of the building to get away from the angered Medicham.

XXXX

DJ, Katara, Leaf, and Jackson quickly made their way to the market district, where they were supposed to meet their client. After a few minutes of searching, the group encountered a Floette with a blue flower in her hands. Seeing her, Katara spoke.

"Are you Flora?"

"Yes. Are you my escorts?" the Floette asked shyly, her voice was soft and melodious.

"Yep, Team Stardust at your service," Jackson said, doing his best bow from his position on all fours, eliciting a giggle from the Floette.

"I can't thank you four enough for accepting my request," Flora said, giving a small bow.

"It's no problem, it's what we do," DJ said proudly.

"We should probably head out now," Leaf interrupted, looking at the map. "As it will take a few days to reach our location. I also see that the path we will be taking does not take us through any dungeons, so we do not have to worry about that."

"We're not going through a dungeon?" DJ asked Flora. "Then why was the mission ranked so high?"

Flora gains a nervous look on her face at DJ's question. "I just wanted some extra protection, so I put the mission as S-rank to make sure I get a strong team to protect me."

"Why would you need extra protection?" Leaf asked suspiciously. "The road to Chrysolis is a frequently traversed road. As such, the likelihood of encountering wild Pokémon or bandits is greatly reduced. There is no need for added protection."

Flora, if anything, seemed to get even more nervous as her form faltered from its place in the air, drifting down towards the ground slightly. Jackson, however, spoke up before the Floette answered.

"Leaf, you don't have to be suspicious. She hired us for protection and that's all that matters." Leaf looked like he wanted to argue, but chose to hold his tongue. Seeing that Leaf was not going to say anything else, Jackson turned to Flora and said, "Sorry about him, he can be... untrusting towards others. We will make sure that you arrive safely to your destination."

"Thank you," Flora said, her form slightly easing up at Jackson's reassurance. "Shall we go?"

"We shall," DJ answered, taking point and leading the way to Cana's shop, followed by Katara, Jackson, and Flora. Leaf stood there for a moment, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, before following the group.

XXXX

 **Hawthorn Trail**

As Grace suggested, the four, plus Flora, stopped by Cana's in order to get supplies. The were slightly held up as Flora was immediately taken with Mai and spent close to half an hour cooing at the young Kangaskhan. After pulling the enamored Floette away from the young Kangaskhan, the group made their way to the Hawthorn Trail with four personal sized tents, food, and sleeping bags.

The trail was relatively old, with cracks along the previously smooth earth. The wooden signs that were placed sporadically along the trail were old and slightly rotted. The trail itself ran through the east side of the forest that surrounded Miracle Town.

The beginning of their journey was relatively quiet as they did not encounter any wild Pokémon on the first day, allowing the group to have a restful night's sleep. The second day, however, things got a little more interesting.

"So, what's Chrysolis like?" Katara asked, attempting to break the silence that had been surrounding the group.

"Well it's a lot like Miracle Town in its structure except it is a little bigger," Flora answered. "We have similar shops and other businesses. We even have our own guild."

"Chrysolis has its own guild?" DJ asked.

"Yes, the Charizard guild."

"Is every guild named after a Pokémon?" DJ asked sarcastically.

"Yes," Flora answered, not catching DJ's joking manner.

"Right..."

"Anyway, the main difference is that, instead of a mayor, we have a queen," Flora continued.

"A queen," Leaf said. "That is like an alpha, is it not?"

"Y-Yes, I think so," Flora said unsure of what exactly an alpha was.

"I've heard of Chrysolis' queen," Jackson piped in. "She's apparently a very kind queen."

"She is," Flora confirmed, smiling happily. "She rules over Chrysolis with kindness and fairness. She cares for all her citizens. She even takes time to listen to all of the citizens complaints and helps them the best she can."

"She sounds like a good queen," Katara comments.

"She is," Flora said fondly. "I couldn't ask for a better m- I mean queen."

Flora's slip of tongue did not go unnoticed by the rest of the group. They all narrowed their eyes slightly, but chose not to mention it.

The group continued on in silence, a comforting silence coming over the group. The sun had begun to set on the second day. Seeing this, the group began to prepare to set up camp when they were met with a group of bandits.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" The group turned in surprise at the voice. Out of the shadows of the trees, a familiar Bisharp stepped out into the light.

"Bishop!" DJ growled hatefully. At the sound of the Bisharp's name, the other members of Team Stardust gained shocked looks before they tensed in preparation of a confrontation.

"What the hell are you doing here," Jackson ground out through gritted teeth. "I thought you were in prison."

"No mere prison can hold me," Bishop stated proudly. "After the break out last year, I escaped while that bumbling magnet was distracted."

"Then I guess we'll just have to put you back," DJ said, spreading his feet widely, ready to attack at a moments notice.

"Um, wh-who is he?" Flora asked nervously.

"He's a dangerous criminal," Katara said. "He attacked our team a few years back and almost killed one of our teammates."

"Almost?" Bishop asked, hearing Katara's words.

"That's right, Jet's alive," Jackson said smugly.

"Huh, then I'll just have to settle for four other dead stars," Bishop said maliciously.

Flora shrunk back in fear at Bishop's threat, hiding behind Katara's form.

"Really? You alone?" DJ mocked. "There's five of us, and only one of you."

"Guess again, pup," Bishop said evilly. He then brought up his arms and scraped his arm blades against one another, creating a distinct screeching sound, that caused the group to wince in pain. A second later, more forms began to come from the shadows of the trees. Once they entered the light, the group saw ten Pawniard take place around the group, surrounding the group of five.

"I see that you got a new 'posse'," DJ said, eyeing the group around them.

"You just _had_ to jinx us, didn't you, DJ?" Jackson reprimanded, giving DJ a half-glare.

"Hey! It's not like I do it on purpose!" DJ responded angrily.

"You _do_ have a tendency to jinx us, DJ," Katara added, smiling slightly.

"Not you too, Katara!" DJ groaned dramatically. "Come on Leaf. Back me up on this."

Leaf looked at DJ for a second, before turning his head and pretended not to hear the Riolu. "Oh, come on!" DJ shouts, causing Flora to chuckle at the Riolu's antics, despite the situation.

"Enough!" Bishop shouted, bringing the group back to the problem at hand. "You weaklings are outnumbered and have no hope to stop us. Surrender the Floette and all of your items and we may let you live!"

"Why do you want her?" Katara asked, shielding Flora from view.

"Are you kidding, do you _know_ what she is worth?" Bishop asked incredulously.

"What do you mean by that?" Jackson asked, not easing up on his stance.

"Oh my Arceus. You fools don't know who she is, do you?" Bishop asked in amusement.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" DJ spat angrily.

"She the princess of Chrysolis!" Bishop said, causing the group to gasp in shock and look at Flora, who was trying to make herself look smaller.

"S-She's the princess?!" Katara asked in shock.

"That would explain why the mission rank was so high," Leaf reasoned.

"Enough talk," Bishop snapped angrily. "Hand her over, or die!"

Flora shivered fearfully at the request and hesitantly looked at her hired protection, afraid that they would abandon her in favor of saving themselves. This fear proved to be unfounded as DJ stepped forward, his eyes narrowed in determination.

"It doesn't matter who she is. Team Stardust will never abandon a client, no matter what!" DJ said with conviction. "If you want Flora, you have to go through us."

"I was hoping you would say that," Bishop said wickedly. Without warning, the Bisharp fired a dark pulse at the group. The group managed to jump away, with Katara grabbing Flora's arm to pull her away, as the dark pulse went sailing past them, destroying one of the tents as well as the sleeping bag inside.

"My tent!" DJ shouted in outrage. "Do you know how long it took me to set that up?!"

"Priorities, DJ," Katara deadpanned.

"Whatever," DJ huffed.

"Guys, focus!" Jackson shouted, eyeing the advancing group. "Katara, you guard Flora. Leaf, you and me will go after the Pawniard. DJ..."

"Take out the tent destroyer, got it," DJ interrupted, leaping at Bishop.

Seeing the enraged Riolu leap at him, Bishop smirked evilly. "So you think you can take me on alone, pup? Then sh-" He was interrupted when DJ formed a quick aura sphere in his paws as he ran forward. DJ then launched the glowing sphere at the sword blade Pokémon, forcing him to jump out of the way, causing the sphere to fly off into the forest. "Right... I forgot you could do that."

DJ growled in annoyance and charged Bishop. He jumped and attempted a flying round house kick towards Bishop's head, flames engulfing his leg. Bishop ducked under DJ's kick and brought his blade arm up in an uppercut, his blade arm gaining a more metallic sheen. As the metal claw was about to hit, DJ swung his paw down against Bishop's arm, away from the metal claw. Twisting his body into the hit, DJ was able to do a horizontal spin, swinging his still fire-engulfed leg towards Bishop's midsection in an improvised bicycle kick.

Bishop grunted as the kick slammed into his gut, the force of the kick as well as the burning heat from the kick causing him to stumble backwards. Not letting up his attack, DJ lunged forward again, this time reeling back his fist in preparation for a punch. An orange glow emanated from his fist as DJ thrust hit towards Bishop's already injured midsection.

Bishop managed to regain his bearing just as DJ's fist was about to hit. Reacting quickly, Bishop used night slash to counter act the punch. The two attacks clashed against one another, each one fighting for dominance, until the night slash broke the deadlock, pushing DJ back.

"You really expect to beat me with such a weak attack, pup?" Bishop asked arrogantly. "I thought you were stronger than that."

In his arrogance, Bishop failed to notice a brief flash of red that covered DJ's form before it faded. DJ grinned slyly seeing Bishop not see the flash. "Don't worry, I'm just warming up," he said cryptically. He then dashed forward and engaged in a deadly dance of punches and blades.

XXXX

As DJ was fighting Bishop, Katara, Jackson, and Leaf had formed a perimeter around Flora, with Katara being the closest to her. Leaf was diving into the ground and bursting out, dealing damage to the Pawniard. Jackson and Katara fired shadow balls and water pulses respectively at the advancing Pawniard, keeping them at bay.

"These guys just don't know when to quit," Katara commented, firing yet another water pulse.

"Don't complain," Jackson said dryly. "At least your attacks do some damage."

Katara's only response was a cheeky grin before she opened her mouth and fired a bubble beam at a Pawniard that got to close. The Pawniard was sent flying back and slammed into the ground hard. As it was getting up, Leaf burst from the ground and slammed into the Pawniard, taking it out of the fight. "You doing okay, Flora?" she asked, turning to the terrified Floette.

"I-I'm o-okay," Flora stuttered.

"Don't worry," Katara reassured her. "We won't let any harm come to you."

"Don't be so sure!" a Pawniard shouted, leaping at Katara and attempting to slash Katara across her exposed back. Before they could make contact, Leaf burst out of the ground in front of the Pawniard and slashed them across the chest with a well placed leaf blade. The Pawniard fell to the ground, unconscious.

"...Watch your surroundings," Leaf said in a joking superior manner before diving back into the ground.

"I knew he was there!" Katara shouted towards the hole before huffing in annoyance, firing another water pulse at the crowd of Pawniard.

"Looks like DJ's making use of that TM he got," Jackson commented, oblivious to the 'conversation' between Katara and Leaf.

"Yeah," Katara said, still a little disgruntled by Leaf's teasing. "Power-up punch suits him."

XXXX

Back with DJ and Bishop, Bishop was slowly getting agitated. With every slash or stab that Bishop sent at the smaller Pokémon, he countered with one of his own moves. The worst part was as the fight progressed, the young Riolu's attacks seemed to be doing more damage with each hit.

"Dammit!" Bishop shouted as he was hit in the face by a powerful orange colored fist. Unlike before, DJ's paw did not just glow orange, but a film of orange energy swirled around his fist creating an orb of orange power with DJ's fist in the center. He reeled back, his metal cheek throbbing. "How are you getting stronger?!"

"I told you I was just warming up," DJ smirked slyly.

"ARGH!" Bishop roared in rage, firing a dark pulse at DJ.

DJ only smirked as he raised his paw, a shadowy aura engulfing his paw. Unlike other times when he used shadow claw, instead of a thin layer of shadowy aura around DJ's paw forming, and intense, thick gauntlet of shadowy energy burst forth and surrounded his paw. He then brought his paw down in a slashing motion, cutting through the dark pulse like it was nothing.

Bishop's eyes widened in disbelief. "H-How?"

"What's wrong?" DJ asked innocently. "Am I not strong enough for you."

"Y-You... H-How...Grrr," Bishop spluttered in rage, unable to form complete sentences in his enraged state. Completely fueled by rage, a silvery aura engulfed his body as he shot at DJ with an iron head attack.

Just as the attack was about to hit DJ, he leaned back, allowing the silver missile known as Bishop to sail over him. As Bishop passed overhead, DJ continued to fall back, catching himself with his paws and kicked his feet into the air in semblance of a handstand. As DJ's feet kicked off the ground, they both ignited into flames as they slammed into Bishop's stomach as he passed overhead. Like the his shadow claw, DJ's blaze kick was noticeably stronger as white hot flames burst from his feet and traveled along Bishop's body when they made contact.

Bishop felt the twin kicks slam into his stomach and gasped out in pain as he felt the blow vibrate his through his bones and heat his metal body to painful temperatures. The pain caused from DJ's attack caused Bishop's attack to fail, causing Bishop to fall flat on his face.

"Aww, is that all?" DJ asked cheekily, eyeing the downed Bisharp.

"Damn you," Bishop growled angrily, pushing himself to his feet. He glances back and sees the last of his Pawniard minions fall to the combined efforts of Leaf, Katara, and Jackson. He growled angrily before he grinned evilly seeing a gap between Katara and Jackson. He then shot forward with iron head, aiming for the gap between the two in hopes to get to Flora.

Seeing this, DJ shouts, "Guy! Heads up!"

Jackson and Katara turned towards the sound of DJ's voice and saw Bishop shooting towards them. Just as Bishop was about to be upon them, Leaf burst from the ground, the leaves on his arms glowing with green energy. He slammed the leaf blade into the approaching iron head causing a small explosion to derive from the two colliding attacks, sending both back.

Bishop landed on his feet, his eyes full of anger and rage. He heard the sound of rapid footsteps come from behind him. He instinctively ducked down, causing DJ's blaze kick to soar over his head. Bishop then lashed out and grabbed DJ's still burning leg. Bishop hissed in pain as the flamed seared his armored hands. Ignoring the burning sensation, Bishop threw DJ towards the group.

Twisting his body in midair, DJ was able to land safely on his feet. He looked at the Bisharp with a, not exactly angry, but annoyed glare. "Give up, Bishop. You can't win," he said.

"No! I refuse to lose to you brats again!" Bishop shouted, a slightly deranged look in his eye. "I won't stop, not until you're all dead, and I have the princess."

"Face it, Bishop. You're outclassed here," Katara said. "Surrender now, don't make thinks harder on yourself."

"I WILL NOT BE TALKED DOWN TO BY A CHILD!" Bishop roared in fury. Unable to think clearly due to his rage, Bishop ran towards the group, both of his blades surrounded by a dark energy as he prepared to use night slash.

The group tensed in preparation for Bishop's assault, but they were stopped by a shout from behind them.

"ENOUGH!" The group turned just in time to see Flora unleash a twister of light pink dust towards the advancing Bisharp. Completely surprised by the sudden attack from the previously petrified Floette, Bishop was unable to dodge the pink twister and was immediately swept up by the winds.

Flora raised her blue flower into the air, causing the twister to follow her movements, Bishop still trapped inside. She held the twister their for a few more seconds before relaxing her grip on her flower and bringing it back to her side, releasing the winds that held the Bisharp. Bishop seemed to stay floating in the air after the winds died down, almost like he was frozen in time, then he hit the ground with a harsh thud. The group stared at Bishop's downed form with bated breath, but he did not even twitch. He had been defeated.

The four members of Team Stardust turned back to the now panting Floette with looks of awe and surprise. Flora blushed furiously from their stares and tried to hide herself behind her flower. "S-Sorry," she said meekly.

"Remind me not to make her mad," DJ said to Katara who nods in agreement. Flora, if possible became even redder.

XXXX

 **Chrysolis**

After Bishop's ambush, the small group, after calling Officer Magnezone, had decided to travel through the rest of the night as a precaution. After another full day's travel, they group made it to Chrysolis just before sunset. They were greeted when they came upon the gates of Chrysolis by the queen's Golurk guardians. They were lead through the town which, like Miracle Town, was rather large. Unlike Miracle Town, which was a more modern town, Chrysolis had a more 'middle-age' feel to it as all of the buildings were made of cobble and stone.

The group came upon giant castle made of white stone, complete with a drawbridge and moat. Around the castle, just behind the moat, was a lush garden full of multicolored flowers. As soon as they entered the castle they were greeted by the queen.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you back home!" the queen, a Florges with a blue bouquet of flowers surrounding her head, said as she embraced her daughter. "I was so worried."

"I'm okay, Mama," Flora murmured into her mother's arms. She then pushed away and gestured to the members of Team Stardust. "They protected me."

Queen Florges looked at the group and smiled gratefully. "I can't thank you enough for protecting my daughter." She then take note of their bedraggled look. "You all look rather ragged, are you okay?"

"No need to worry," DJ said reassuringly, stifling a yawn. Unlike the others, on the final night that the group had along the trail, DJ was forced to sleep on the hard ground. Needless to say, he did not get that much sleep.

"I am sorry for deceiving you with the mission," the queen said, a look of guilt crossing her face. "but if other Pokémon knew that about Flora, then bandits and would come and attack her."

"That's understandable," Jackson said, nodding his head in agreement to the queen's words. "Better safe then sorry."

"But if Flora's identity was secret, how did Bishop know about our escort?" Katara asked curiously.

"I'm afraid that was why I was worried," the Queen said sadly. "It appears that one of our servants betrayed my trust and leaked the information to, whom I assume is the one that attacked you."

"That would explain the Bisharp," Leaf said.

"Either way, I am eternally grateful for your services. You, and the rest of your team, will always be welcome here," the queen said with a bow.

"Thank you, your majesty," Jackson said, bowing in return. Seeing this action, DJ, Katara, and Leaf bowed as well. Queen Florges giggled at the group.

"There is no need for that."

"Just being polite," Jackson grinned cheekily. "Well, since I doubt my companions want to start our trek at night, we still need to find an inn."

"Oh, you are welcome to stay at the castle," the queen suggested. "After protecting my daughter, it's the least I could do."

"We don't want to impose," Jackson said quickly.

"It's not trouble at all," the queen insisted.

"Well... alright, thank you."

Queen Florges smiled kindly at the group. "It is no problem."

"I think that we should do some shopping before it gets too late," Katara said. "DJ still needs a new tent, so we might as well get that now."

"Okay, just make sure you four get back before sundown. That's when we close the drawbridge for the evening," the queen warns.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before then," Katara reassures. The queen nods and the group made towards the drawbridge and into town.

XXXX

The group walked through the streets of Chrysolis. They had already purchased the tent relatively soon after they exited the castle and were walking around the town. They were amazed at how different Chrysolis was from Miracle Town.

"This place looks so old," Katara comments, looking at one of the many stone buildings.

"Yeah, most towns and cities that I've been to are a lot more modern," Jackson says, taking note of one of the food carts.

"It's like being back in the days of old," DJ said dramatically, raising his arm in semblance of holding a sword. "Back when knights fought dragons and stole the hearts of princesses."

"You mean dragon types?" Leaf asked.

"Kind of," DJ said. "I think, back in the human world, I read story books about that kind of stuff."

"You remember stuff from the human world?" Katara asked.

"Not really," DJ said, turning from the road to the group, walking a ways away from them. "Like before it's more like random flashes of my past. I still don't remember anyone other than Cecil, though. I honestly didn't remember the story books until we got here."

"Maybe your memories are triggered through seeing familiar sights," Jackson suggests.

"That makes since," DJ said, placing a paw on his chin in thought. He was then broken from his thoughts when he slammed into something rather hard. "Oof," DJ grunted as he fell on his rear.

"Watch where you're going, runt," a voice grumbled angrily from above DJ's downed form. Looking up, DJ saw that the object that he ran into was a rather angry Charmeleon.

"Sorry," DJ said, getting to his feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Well maybe if you paid attention to your surroundings instead of dicking around, you wouldn't have hit me!" the Charmeleon said angrily.

"Hey, I said I was sorry! Let it go!" DJ replied angrily.

"I will not let it go!" the Charmeleon growled. "Do you know who I am?!"

"No, and I frankly don't care," DJ replied in a 'no nonsense' tone, further angering the Charmeleon.

"Is there a problem here?" Jackson said, stepping up next to DJ.

"Yeah, the runt next to you ran into me!" the Charmeleon spat angrily.

"And I apologized for that!" DJ cut in angrily.

"Well if he apologized, nothing more can be done," Jackson said in a placating manner.

"Spire! Are you okay?" The four members of Team Stardust and the angry Charmeleon turned towards the voice and saw a group of nine Pokémon approaching. The group was made up of a Pignite, a green and blue Gastrodon, a female Weavile, a Staraptor, a female Zorua, a female Sandslash, an Accelgor, a Gengar, and a gold colored Charmeleon. The speaker, the Weavile, moved to the Charmeleon, now known as Spire, and glared at the four in front of her. "Who are you?" she asked rudely.

"Is it not proper for one to give their name first before demanding ours?" Leaf asked, his eyes narrowed.

Spire looked like he wanted to say something, but stopped himself as the gold Charmeleon stepped forward and placed a claw on his shoulder. "That is fair," he said. "My name is Landon and these," he gestures to the Pokémon around him, "are my teammates. The Weavile is Winter, the Gengar is Specter, the Zorua is Malum, the Staraptor is Aquila, the Sandslash is Gaea, the Accelgor is Shima, the Gastrodon is Geyser, the Pignite is Scorch, and the other Charmeleon," Landon gestures to. "is my brother and our leader, Spire."

"You said teammates. Does that mean you guys are a exploration team?" Katara asked.

"That's right," Scorch said with an air of superiority in his voice. "We're Team Fireheart."

"I've heard of you guys," Jackson said. "You're one of the Charizard Guild's most prominent gold rank teams."

"That's right," Spire said smugly. "And as such, I demand compensation for bumping into me!"

"I already apologized," DJ growled, curling his fingers into tight fists. He was liking this Charmeleon less and less by the second.

"Hey, boss," Malum spoke up. "Doesn't that Riolu look familiar?"

"Hmm, now that you mention, he does look familiar," Geyser said, stretching his towards DJ and squinting his three eyes at him. DJ gave and involuntary step back as Geyser's neck stretched further than what should have been physically possible, his head stopping a few inches from DJ's face.

"Hey! He's got an exploration badge!" Malum said, holding up a badge.

"Huh?" DJ said, searching his person for his explorer's badge. When he could not find it he realized that Malum had somehow nicked his badge without him noticing. "Give that back!"

DJ swiped his paw forward and took his badge back from the giggling Zorua. "For a gold ranked exploration team member, you're not very mindful of your surroundings," she chirped.

"I do believe I know why he looks so familiar," Aquila said. "I believe he is the Riolu that was in the papers a few months ago."

"You mean the one from Team Stardust?" Gaea asked.

"The very same," Aquila confirms. "His blue eyes make him standout from the rest of his species."

"So that means these kids are members of Team Stardust," Winter reasoned, eyeing the four Pokémon critically.

"Who are you calling 'kids'?" Katara asked in annoyance. "We're like the same age!"

"Hmm, so you're the famous 'aura sphere Riolu'," Spire asked rhetorically, completely ignoring Katara's prior comment. He stared at DJ, seemingly deciding something before smirking arrogantly. "Then I challenge you to a battle!"

"What?" DJ asked, taken aback.

"You heard me! You supposedly saved the world, meaning that you're strong. By beating you, I will prove my strength."

"Spire..." Landon, tried, but was drowned out by Spire.

"So what will it be, pup? Will you fight or prove yourself a coward?"

"...No."

"WHAT?!" Spire shouted in outrage.

"I said 'no'," DJ repeated. "Normally I'd be all for a fight, but I'm in no mood at the moment. I'm tired and I want to get some sleep."

"Then you're a coward!" Scorch jeered at DJ.

"Call me what you want, I really don't care," DJ said, turning his back on the group. "I'm going back to the castle to get some sleep."

"You... You... cowardly...!" Spire spluttered angrily, completely missing DJ's comment about staying at the castle. Seeing DJ begin to walk away, further dismissing him, Spire saw red. He growled menacingly and charged at the retreating Riolu.

Jackson, Katara, and Leaf were all taken by surprise and unable to stop Spire from running past them at startling speed. Spire reared up a claw, a greenish energy coating his claws, and sent it down in a slashing movement towards the back of DJ's head. Just as the claw was inches away from connecting with DJ's head, a blue arm shot back and grabbed Spire's wrist, halting his attack.

"H-He caught Spire's attack?!" Shima shouted in disbelief as the rest of Team Fireheart could only gape in shock.

 _Fast_ , Spire thought in surprise as DJ gripped his wrist, his head still facing away from the Charmeleon. He then felt an angry aura emanated from DJ. _What the hell?!_

"Careful," DJ said, his voice seeming to echo through the streets. He turned and fixed Spire with a cold glare that sent shivers down Spire's spine. "Any closer and I might have seen that as an attack against my person. As such I would have been within reason to act accordingly."

At this point even Katara, Jackson, and Leaf were feeling a little uneasy about DJ's current state of mind. DJ almost never became angry. Irritated or annoyed, yes, but never angry. The last time that they had seen DJ angry was when Katara was nearly killed. It was also the one time that Team Stardust had witnessed DJ's primal aura first hand. An experience that they had no desire to have again.

Spire managed to shake himself out of his fear induced stupor and glared down at DJ. "What? You think that just because you saved the world that you're above me?" he sneered.

DJ's eyes narrowed. "I never said that. All I said was that I did not want to fight now," he responded coolly.

"Coward," Spire spat out. "You know what I think? I bet your guild staged the whole thing?"

"What?" DJ asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.

"Yeah, that's it, isn't it?" he accused, grinning sinisterly. "I bet your guild master staged the whole thing to get in the paper! You're all just a bunch of liars!"

"How dare you," DJ growled angrily, his grip on Spire's wrist tightening. Spire winced inwardly as he swore he felt something crack. "How dare you accuse our guild of something like that!" DJ's eyes blazed in fury. "Everyone gave their all in that fight and several of us, including myself, almost died in that fight! If it wasn't for us the world would have been swallowed up by darkness!"

"Prove it," Spire challenged.

"Fine then," DJ said venomously, releasing Spire's wrist. "You want a fight? Well you've got one!"

Spire grinned victoriously, ignoring the throbbing pain in his wrist.

"But, DJ," Katara said. "We have to get back to the castle before sundown!"

"Don't worry, it won't take that long" Spire said vindictively. "I'll beat this loser in under a minute!"

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," DJ said. The tension in the air growing as the two Pokémon glared at each other.

Team Fireheart grinned at each other, confident that their leader would win while the three other member of Team Stardust gave each other looks of unease. Not because they were scared that DJ would get hurt, but because they were unused to seeing DJ so angry. They feared that someone would get seriously hurt.

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hey everymon, AuraFighter here. Sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter, I've had a lot of college work for the past few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to post more frequently. Also, I just realized that line break that I've been putting in my chapters have not been showing up on the website when I post them. I apologize if this made it harder to follow what was going on in my stories and I hope that my new line breaks show up. If not, please feel free to let me know. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dragon vs Jackal

DJ and Spire stood in the center of a rectangular fighting arena glaring at each other. The sun was just beginning to set, casting ominous shadows across the field. Katara, Leaf, Jackson, and the rest of Team Fireheart stood on the outside of the arena, looking on in nervous trepidation and arrogant confidence respectively.

Spire sneered cockily at DJ. "Well? Are you going to attack or are you going to run with the tail between your legs?"

DJ's glare darkened. "I'm not running. You brought this on yourself." Without another word, he dashed forward, his right fist cocked back in preparation for a power-up punch.

Spire smirked and moved to the left to dodge the vicious haymaker sent from DJ. He was about to slash DJ with his claw when DJ continued the momentum of his swing, twisting his body around and slamming a quick blaze kick into Spire's gut.

While it did minimal damage to Spire, the force of the hit caused the Charmeleon to gasp out in pain. Not wanting to give Spire a chance to recover, DJ brought his left paw back, clenched it into a fist, and nailed him in the face with a power-up punch.

Spire stumbled back, reeling from the dual hits, and glared at DJ. Spire took a deep breath and released a large torrent of fire at DJ. DJ was forced to back flip away from the flames, wincing slightly as the flames singed his leg. As soon as DJ's feet touched the ground he dashed forward, he arm reared back for a punch.

Spire scoffed as he saw DJ rearing back his fist. Just as DJ was a few feet from him, Spire moved to the side, an almost bored expression on his face as he prepared himself to counter DJ's attack. Unfortunately for him, he never noticed DJ's smirk as Spire did exactly what he wanted.

Spire's eye widened exponentially, when instead of throwing a punch, DJ sent a viscous side kick into Spire's gut. Time almost seemed to stop as the two locked gazes, one in shock and the other with a cheeky smirk. Time started up once again as flames sparked on DJ's leg, creating a small explosion that pushed Spire back several feet.

Seeing Spire unbalanced, DJ rocketed forward with quick attack and slammed the larger Pokémon to the ground. As soon as Spire hit the ground, he kicked out with his foot, catching DJ off guard and bringing him to the ground as well.

Spire quickly got to his feet and growled angrily at DJ. He brought his arm up, green energy engulfing his claws, and brought it down towards DJ. DJ quickly rolled out of the way, allowing the attack to sink into the ground. DJ got to his feet quickly and launched a power-up punch at Spire as he tried to wrench his claw out of the ground.

The glowing fist found purchase in Spire's side, causing the flame Pokémon to cough up a few bits of spittle. Before he could recover, DJ sent flames along his right foot into Spire's jaw, causing said Pokémon's head to violently jerk upwards. He then spun his left foot, placing his right foot on the ground when he had made a full 180 degree spin and kicked Spire with his left foot, flames engulfing his foot.

Spire reared back with a cry of pain. Spire glared at DJ, wiping the saliva off his mouth. He then opened his mouth and released another flamethrower at DJ. DJ dove forward to dodge the flames, allowing the flames to pass over his head. DJ turned the dive into a role and looked up only to get an electrified fist to his face. DJ shot his arms out and caught himself before he could hit the ground. He then pushed off the ground with his arms, moving to the side just in time to avoid another thunder punch.

DJ tried to get to his feet, but was forced to roll out of the way as Spire sent another flamethrower at the downed Riolu. Spire then dashed forward, his claws leaking with dragon energy, and slashed at the prone Riolu. DJ rolled on his back, keeping his left foot on the ground and his right in the air. As soon as Spire was in range, DJ kicked forward with another blaze kick, his foot finding purchase in his gut.

Spire gave a grunt of pain as he was forcibly pushed back by DJ's kick, stumbling as he tried to keep himself from falling over. Taking this moment, DJ quickly got to his feet and charged up an aura sphere and fired it at Spire.

As the glowing blue sphere hurtled through the air towards the Charmeleon, Spire regained his footing and reared back his right arm, and activated his dragon claw. With a primal roar he slashed at the sphere, destroying the aura sphere completely. He looked at DJ and grinned in sadistic amusement.

"So the rumors are true, you _can_ use aura sphere." DJ narrowed his eyes at Spire, but said nothing. Spire frowned when DJ didn't respond. "What? Too scared to respond?"

DJ remained silently, only glaring at the Charmeleon. Spire began to feel unnerved at the Riolu's silence. The Riolu's blue eyes seemed to give off an unnatural coldness that perturbed the Charmeleon. Before Spire could even comprehend what happened, DJ was already in front of him. Spire jumped back slightly in shock by the Riolu's sudden movements, and was unprepared for DJ's shadow claw.

Spire gave a short cry of pain as the shadowy energy slashed at his hide. He recovered quickly and retaliated with a dragon claw. The attack raked across DJ's side, causing him to wince in pain as he felt the claws pierced his skin. Unperturbed by the pain, DJ slammed a orange colored fist into Spire's jaw and another into his gut. The hit caused Spire to give a harsh wheeze as DJ's fist sunk into his gut, expelling the air his lungs. DJ then brought his leg up and kicked Spire away with a blaze kick.

Spire stumbled back and unceremoniously fell on his rear, hissing in pain from the hits. He looked up at DJ, rage clear in his eyes. He got to his feet and charged forward, his fist becoming covered in electricity. DJ moved to the side to dodge the electrified fist and swung a power-up punch at Spire's face. Spire ducked under the fist and drove his thunder punch into DJ's gut.

DJ coughed up a bit of saliva from the impact and tensed as his muscles convulsed from the electricity entering his system. DJ stepped back, clutching his stomach before, with surprising speed, fired an aura sphere at Spire. Unprepared for the attack, Spire took the full brunt of the attack.

There was a small explosion and Spire was sent skidding back several feet, holding his gut from the concussive force of the aura sphere. He looked at DJ with in anger and annoyance. DJ met his glare with one of his own which held an intense distaste for the Charmeleon. The two glared at each other before both dashed at each other, one with shadow claw and the other with dragon claw.

The two claw attacks clashed against each other, creating flashes of light as the attack clashed against each other. The two never broke eye contact as they both pushed against the other's attack. As if an unseen command was said, the two leapt back from each other, both their attacks still activated. They glared at each other silently before the dashed at each other. The two slashed at each other furiously, their claws becoming blurs of green and dark purple as the two slashed at each other.

-Legend-

On the sidelines the two teams watched their two teammates go head to head in fascination.

"Wow, those two certainly aren't holding back," Gaea commented in awe.

"Yes, they are both quite powerful," Aquila agreed. "This is a quite interesting battle."

"But Spire will when, no doubt~!" Malum chirped, her body bouncing excitably.

"No duh," Scorch scoffed, crossing his arms. "Spire's _way_ to powerful to be brought down be a measly pup."

"The pup doesn't stand a chance," Specter chuckled.

On the other side of the field the three members of Team Stardust watched the fight with less amusement than Team Fireheart. They watched DJ's fight with growing concern, not out of worry for his safety, but because of his actions.

"Something's not right," Katara muttered. "The way he's fighting...he seems more...brutal than when he usually fights."

"You are right," Leaf agreed. "Alpha's attacks are usually more concise and controlled, but now..." Leaf watched as DJ growled and slashed wildly at Spire's midsection with another shadow claw. "Now, his attacks seem more wild and angry."

"You don't think it's his primal aura, do you?" Jackson asked.

"No it's not that. If it was, I would be able to feel his rage through our bond. Right now, I don't feel anything from him."

"Huh?" Jackson said in confusion. "You don't feel anything?"

"No. No happiness, no excitement, no anger, nothing." Katara frowned. "It's like something's clouding the bond."

"Clouding," Jackson parroted, turning back to the fight. "What do you think is doing it."

"I'm not sure," Katara admitted. "but whatever it is, it's not good."

-Legend-

Back with the fight, DJ and Spire continued to exchange claw attacks, each with the intent of maiming the other. The flames on Spire's tail burned larger and brighter in tangent with his anger while DJ's glare intensified, growling lowly and angrily.

As the fight progressed, DJ's attacks became wilder and more viscous than the last, making it difficult for Spire to keep up. Eventually, Spire made the mistake of making a wild slash towards DJ's head. DJ ducked under the claw before rocketing up, sending a powerful shadow claw up Spire's stomach to his jaw.

Spire cried out in pain and fell back from the hit. Before Spire hit the ground, DJ grabbed his arm and brought him towards him, slamming a power-up punch into Spire's face. DJ gave Spire's body a little slack before pulling him back and repeated the action. He did this two more times before Spire opened his mouth and blasted DJ with a point blank flamethrower.

DJ let go and jumped back to get out of the flames, growled in pain as flames licked over his body. The flames dissipated from his body, revealing his fur was singed and blackened in various places. Before he could move flames spontaneously sparked across his body, igniting him. DJ howled in pain as the tongues of flames licked across his body before fading. He snarled in rage, his vision becoming clouded by rage. In the back of his mind DJ wandered why he was feeling this must rage, but pushed the thoughts down in favor of continuing to fight.

DJ raised his paws and fired multiple aura spheres at Spire in quick succession. Spire, in a surprising display of nimbleness and agility, managed to evade the attacks and fire a powerful flamethrower. DJ jumped to the side and took off towards Spire, slamming a much more powerful power-up punch into his face. Spire growled in anger and retaliated by slamming a thunder punch into DJ's face in a similar fashion.

DJ recoiled from the hit, giving Spire the time to slash DJ across the chest with a dragon claw. DJ growled angrily and fired a powerful, close range aura sphere into Spire's gut, sending the larger Pokémon flying back. Spire impacted against the ground with a harsh thud, groaning as he began to push himself back to his feet.

Seeing the Charmeleon get to his feet, DJ growled again and dashed forward with quick attack. Spire jumped to the side just in time to dodge DJ's quick attack. Quickly getting to his feet, Spire slashed at DJ's unprotected back with a dragon claw attack, eliciting a cry of pain from DJ. DJ whipped around, his face contorted in a feral rage as his lips were curled in a viscous snarl, startling Spire slightly.

Spire to a step back uncertainly and was unprepared for a power-up punch finding place in the Charmeleon's gut. Spire bent forward from the force of the punch, practically hanging off DJ's fist. DJ smirked evilly, and created an aura sphere in his other paw and fired it in Spire's face.

Spire roared in pain and stumbled back, holding his snout and gut. DJ dashed forward and delivered a violent blazing drop kick, nailing Spire in the face. DJ cut himself on his paws and twisted his body, creating a spinning motion and kicked Spire's back leg, tripping him.

Spire landed on his back with a loud thud and a groan of pain. DJ grinned viciously down at Spire. Before he could move, flames suddenly engulfed DJ's form again, causing DJ to cry out in pain. As soon the flames faded, DJ's glare returned full force. DJ leapt forward, shadowy claws forming upon his paws, and attempted to slash at Spire's prone form. Right before he could make contact, Spire's head snapped towards DJ and blasted him with a flamethrower.

The force behind the torrent of flames, sent DJ into the air before the force weakened towards the apex of his ascent. DJ fell to the ground with a dull thud, before pushing himself to his feet.

Spire got to his feet, panting slightly as he glared at DJ. "I've got to admit, you're stronger than I first thought, but you're still nothing to me!" he growled stubbornly.

DJ's only response was an angry, slightly tired, growl. Flames engulfed his body once more, causing DJ to give a short pained yelp before the flames faded once more.

This sight seemed to boost Spire's confidence as he smirked and ran forward, his fists sparking with electricity. DJ growled again and ran forward, meeting Spire's charge, using power-up punch. Both reared back their fists and punched towards each other, creating a shockwave between the two opposing attacks. Spire gritted his teeth as he tried to overpower DJ's attack, but, due to the constant use of the power-up punch, was slowly being pushed back by DJ's enhanced strength.

Thinking quickly, Spire allowed his strength to fade, causing DJ to move forward and over extend. Spire, copying DJ's prior movement, spun on his back foot in a 180 degree turn and delivered a powerful back fist, coated in electricity, to DJ's face. DJ stumbled back, allowing Spire the chance to hit him again with another thunder punch.

DJ's body was forcibly spun around by the force of the attack. Instinctively, DJ lashed out with a back kick, hitting Spire in the chest and pushing him back. DJ turned, his eyes blazing with fury and formed another aura sphere in his paw and slamming it into Spire stomach. Spire made a silent scream of pain as the aura sphere drilled into the Charmeleon's stomach and exploded, sending the Charmeleon flying.

Spire's form slammed harshly into the dirt, smoke curling from the spot where the aura sphere made contact. DJ stared at Spire's unmoving form with narrowed eyes, completely ignoring the flames that covered his body once more. A few seconds passed and just when DJ thought he was down, Spire gave a light cough and rolled onto his stomach and prepared to get to his feet.

DJ snarled angrily when he saw this. _The idiot won't stay down,_ he said mentally. _Fine then, if he keeps getting back up then I'll keep putting him back down! I'll beat him until he doesn't get back up. I'll destroy him!_ _ **I'll tear him to pieces with my own paws!**_

DJ's eyes widened in surprise when this thought passed through his mind. _Wh-What was that?! I don't want to hurt him like that. No... I do, but I don't. I... GAAHHH!_

DJ clutched his head in pain as his conflicting thoughts roared within his brain, seemingly causing visible pain to the young Riolu. "What's happening to me?" he whispered, still clutching his head.

On the other side of the field, Spire had made it to his feet, panting in exhaustion. He then growled angrily, his rage reaching its peak. A red aura began to cloak his body, his tail flame increasing in intensity as his blaze ability activated. He then looked up at DJ, either not noticing his predicament or just not caring, and fired a powerful fire blast attack, fueled by his blaze ability. Still clutching his head, DJ had no chance evading or countering the attack and the attack hit its mark.

 **BOOM**

A large fiery explosion erupted from where DJ stood, the flames of the fire blast creating a large pillar of flame and smoke, the concussive force of the attack kicking up blasts of wind and dust in all directions. It took close to five minutes for the fire and smoke to completely disperse form the area, allowing everyone to see. In the epicenter of the attack, laying face first on the ground was a heavily burnt and unmoving DJ.

"DJ!" Katara shouted in worry, rushing over to her friend, Leaf and Jackson close behind.

Seeing his opponent unconscious, Spire gave a victorious smirk before falling onto one knee, his energy spent from his last attack.

"Spire!" Team Fireheart ran to their leader's side. "Are you okay."

"I'm fine," Spire grumbled, withholding a wince.

"Dammit, Spire," Landon growled angrily. "I told you not to use that move! You still haven't completely mastered it!"

"It worked didn't it,"Spire snapped back, a hint of smugness in his voice as he looked over to Team Stardust who had just roused DJ and were feeding him rawst and sitrus berries.

"Are you okay, DJ?" Katara asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm just a little sore," DJ replied, wincing from his burns that were slowly healing.

"What happened during the battle?" Jackson asked in a low voice so Team Fireheart couldn't hear. "You didn't seem to be yourself."

"I don't know," DJ sighed, placing a paw on his forehead to stave off the ensuing headache. "My mind kind of went hazy half-way into the battle. When I finally began to snap myself out of whatever was affecting me a fire blast was heading for me."

"So that's why you held your head," Jackson reasoned. "But what caused the haze in the first place?"

"I don't know," DJ admitted. "It wasn't the primal aura, that's for sure."

"I couldn't tell what you felt," Katara said. "Whatever that haze was blocked our bond."

"Seriously?!" DJ whispered loudly. "Damn, what the hell happened to me?"

"Did you feel anything in the haze?" Leaf questioned.

"Yeah, kind of." DJ placed his paw on his shin in a pondering fashion. "I felt rage, but it was unlike what I feel when I used the primal aura. It felt...dark, almost like-"

"I guess I win, pup!" Spire's obnoxious voice rang out. The four members of Team Stardust turned to face the smug team. "Guess you aren't as good as they say."

"As I recall, I never said that I was," DJ said in an annoyed voice.

"Guess the so called _savior of the world_ isn't invincible," he said, completely disregarding DJ's statement. The Charmeleon smirked down at DJ in a condescending way. "I honestly doubt a weakling like you would even be capable of saving the world!"

"First: as I said before, I never said I was invincible," DJ growled. His previous anger towards the Charmeleon bubbling back to the surface. "Second: you as banged up as me!"

"Yes, but I won, didn't I?" Spire countered smugly.

"Yeah, yeah," DJ waved him off, pushing himself to his feet as the sitrus berries already taking affect.

"Don't be such a sore loser," Spire snarked.

"This coming from the sore winner," Katara growled defensively.

"Not my fault he couldn't take the heat?" Spire said, shrugging his shoulders his shoulders in what was meant to be a nonchalant manner, though it was ruined by his arrogant smirk.

"Whatever," DJ said, stretching his arms. "I could use some sleep. Let's head back to the castle."

"Castle?" Geyser asked. "You mean the queen's castle?"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell are you staying there?!" Winter demanded.

"Because we escorted her daughter here from Miracle Town," Leaf answered.

"Why the hell would she entrust such a group of weaklings like you with such an important mission?!" Spire shouted, his team murmuring in agreement.

At this point, Landon stepped forward and smacked Spire across the back of his head. "That's enough, Spire!" he shouted, startling his team into silence. "Even if he lost, he proved that he wasn't weak. You barely won, and don't you dare argue." He added the last part when he saw his brother about to interject.

"You've been acting like a spoiled, self-absorbed brat since we met them, and it needs to stop. You are a member of the Charizard Guild, so start acting like it!"

Spire glared at his brother before bowing his head slightly in submission. "Whatever," he huffed childishly. He gave the four members of Team Stardust a final glare, before brushing past them. The rest of his team, minus Landon, followed him, some giving nods to the four.

When they were gone, Landon turned to the group. "Sorry about my brother," he apologized. "He's got a superiority complex."

"It's fine, we've face people like him," DJ said. "He _is_ an ass though."

"Yes, he is," Landon agreed, a small smile forming on his face. "Unfortunately, he's always been like that. You fought well though."

"Thanks. Not to sound like a sore loser, but normally I'm more composed when I fight," DJ said sheepishly.

"Yes, I noticed that you seemed unfocused and wild the longer you fought and how you clutched your head at the end," Landon said. "My I ask what that was?"

"I'm honestly not sure myself. I guess I'm just tired from our journey," DJ partially lied.

Landon's eyes narrowed minutely. "Alright then," he said suspiciously, obviously not believing him. "If that's the case, you should get some rest."

"Right," DJ agreed. "Nice meeting you, wish I could say the same for the rest of your team, but..."

Landon chuckled. "They grow on you after awhile."

"I doubt that," Katara said under hear breath.

"For what it's worth, it has been a pleasure meeting you four. I hope that we meet again," Landon said. He gave them one last kind smile before going in the direction as his teammates.

"Well at least _he_ was nice," Jackson commented.

"Mmm." Katara made a sound of agreement.

"I suggest we hurry back to the castle," Leaf added. "We need to get back before they close the bridge."

"Right, let's go," DJ said, walking in the direction of the castle, missing the concerned looks that Jackson and Katara exchanged.

-Legend-

"Oh, my!" Queen Florges gasped when she saw the state DJ was in. "What happened?! You were only gone a couple of hours!"

"We met one of the resident teams," DJ grumbled.

"Let me guess, Team Fireheart?" Upon seeing their nods, Queen Florges sighed in exasperation. "I should have known."

"Do they cause trouble here?" Jackson asked.

"You could say that," she sighed. "They don't do really hurt anybody, but their leader, Spire, acts like he owns the place while the rest follow his lead. His brother, Landon, does his best to reel him in, but there's not much could be said."

"We noticed," DJ grumbled.

"I'm afraid it's because of the guild master."

"The guild master?" Leaf questioned. "What does he have to do with Spire?"

"Don't you know?" Queen Florges asked. "Spire and Landon are his sons."

"WHAT?!" DJ, Katara, and Jackson exclaimed in shock.

"I figured as much," Leaf said stoically. "The way he acted was similar to how Asura acted when I first joined Alpha."

"That would explain his arrogance," Jackson reasoned.

"Though I have to admit, he can back up his claims. I know that first hand," DJ grumbled, stretching his sore arms.

"Yes, I'm afraid that his arrogance has lead him to gaining a swelled head," Queen Florges confessed. "Whenever he encounters another team, be it from the Charizard Guild or another, he constantly belittles them or challenges them, if he believes them to be weak, only to crush them. Unfortunately, guild master Aodhan only encourages this behavior."

"Can't you do anything about it?" Katara asked carefully, not wanting to overstep her boundaries. "I mean, you are the queen."

Queen Florges gave Katara a patient smile, one that could generally be found on the face of a mother who was patiently explaining something to a child. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. While I hold power over the citizens of Chrysolis, guild members, while not exempt from all laws, have certain...privileges that prevent me from disciplining them as I wish. The right of disciplining guild members lies in the hands of the guild master. That is how it's been since the first queen of Chrysolis."

"That's similar to the relation between our town's mayor and our guild," Jackson commented.

"Oh, yes. How is Reginald?" Queen Florges asked.

"He's good," Jackson said. "I haven't seen him in a while, but our town's doing good so..."

"That's good, I haven't seen him in a while," Queen Florges said, a small smile forming on his face.

"Who's Reginald?" DJ whispered to Katara.

"Our mayor," Katara whispered back. "He's an Alakazam."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Queen Florges clapped her hands together, gaining their attention. "I have prepared a feast to celebrate my daughter's safe return. Please, join us."

"Sounds good," Jackson said.

"Actually, can I take a quick shower first?" DJ asked. "I'm kinda' covered in soot at the moment."

Queen Forges chuckled lightly behind her hand. "That's no problem. The baths are down the hall. I'll have one of my attendants bring a towel. Feel free to join us when you're down."

"Thank you," DJ said gratefully, trotting off towards the bathroom.

-Legend-

 **Miracle Town**

 **Team Stardust Base**

DJ and his group set off on Hawthorn trail early the next morning, moving as quickly as they could so they would make it back sooner. They didn't encounter many wild Pokémon, the ones that they did encounter skittered off back into the woods that surrounded the trail. Moving at a faster speed than before, they made it back to Miracle Town in just under three days, the moon hanging lazily in the night sky.

"We're back!" Katara called as she, DJ, Leaf, and Jackson entered their guild house.

"We're in the lounge," Grace's voice rang out.

The four of them entered the lounge and saw Asura, Jet, and Grace, all the three of them a little worse for wear

"You guys look like you got your butt's kicked~," Jackson teased good-naturedly.

Asura gave Jackson a tired and annoyed look. "Not in the mood, Jackson," he grumbled.

"We had to face a ridiculously tough outlaw," Jet groaned tiredly from his position on one of the couches. His entire body was draped over the couch, leaving no room for another to sit next to him.

"Who'd you face?" Katara asked curiously, sitting across from Grace.

"An outlaw by the name of Dozer, a Ryhperior," Grace said. "Even with out type advantage we had against him, it still took us at least thirty minutes to beat him, not including the day it took us to track him down. How was your mission?"

"It was fine," DJ said, sitting next to Katara. "We ran into Bishop again..."

"What?!" Asura sat up and whipped his head towards DJ. "I thought he was in prison!"

"Apparently he broke out when Luke attacked the prison," DJ explained. Seeing Asura concern look he said, "Don't worry, we beat him and called Officer Magnezone."

"So, Bishop is back behind bars. Good," Asura sighed in relief. "Was he a problem?"

"Not really. He brought a bunch of Pawniard with him, but Katara, Leaf, and I handled them while DJ took on Bishop," Jackson said. He then chuckled lightly. "Funny thing is, he was finished off by our client, Flora."

"Huh, so the client could hold her own," Jet said. "It always makes the job easier when the client fights with you."

"Also, it turns out that our client was actually the queen's daughter," Katara added.

"Really?" Grace said, perking up a bit. "That explains why it was a S-rank mission. Anything else happen?"

"Yeah, after tat we ran into a team from the Charizard Guild," DJ added. "Team Fireheart."

"Team Fireheart," Asura repeated. "I think I've heard of their team. They're supposed to be one of their guild's most prominent teams."

"They were all assholes. Except for Landon, he was okay," DJ said. He then added in a nonchalant manner, "I fought their leader."

"You did what?!" Grace shrieked loud enough to startle Jet enough to fall of the couch. She quickly apologized to Jet as he got back up, grumbling to himself, before turning her attention back to DJ. "Why on earth would you fight him?"

"He forced me to," DJ defended. "He kept trying to goad me into fighting him, claiming that I was too weak to have saved the world and that if I wanted to prove it, I would have to fight him. I told him I Didn't care if he believed it or not and tried to walk away, but he attacked me."

"He attacked you without provocation?!" Asura shouted in outrage. "That breaks several Guild Federation statuettes! How could his guild master allow that?!"

"Unfortunately, Queen Florges said that it is a regular occurrence," Leaf said grimly. "According to her, the guild master, who is also Spire's father, practically encourages his behavior."

"That's horrible," Grace said. "That blatant display of favoritism in a guild, regardless of the member and their status, highly frowned upon, especially in cases like this. For a guild master to not only ignore, but also encourage the mistreatment towards other teams from other guilds is disgraceful!"

"So how'd the fight go?" Jet asked randomly. He noticed the looks Asura and Grace were sending him. "What? I just wanna know."

"It was going well. I was winning, but then things got... fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Grace asked.

"Yeah," DJ said, hesitant to continue.

"What happened?" Asura demanded, his fatigue disappearing and replaced with concern for his teammate.

DJ sighed and retold what happened in Chrysolis with Jackson, Katara, and Leaf adding bits and pieces here and there. By the end of there tale, all three senior members of Team Stardust wore grim expressions, though there was concern in their gaze.

"And you're sure it wasn't your primal aura?" Grace questioned worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm sure," DJ said. "Like I said, it felt different than the primal aura."

"Plus whatever it was blocked out your aura bond with Katara, something that the primal aura has not done in the past," Asura commented, a frown forming on his face. "I have no idea what this could be."

"It's possible that your reaction was a mix of lack of sleep and anger towards that Charmeleon," Jet suggested. "I've had instances where, my mind went fuzzy because of lack of sleep and stress."

"Perhaps," Asura said, not fully convinced. "For now, we'll keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary with DJ. If this happens again, we'll ask Alistair about it."

"That sounds reasonable," Grace said. She turned to DJ and gave him a serious look. "You better make sure that you tell us if you have another one of these episodes."

"Y-Yes Ma'am!" DJ exclaimed fearfully.

"Good," Grace said. Her frown falls from her face, replaced by the caring motherly expression that she normally has. "Now how about you kids get some sleep. You must be tired."

"Hey! We're like the same age!" Jackson exclaimed indigently.

Grace turned to him and gave him a sickly sweet smile that sent shivers down his spine.

"What was that, Jackson?" she asked sweetly, causing everyone present to shiver.

"N-Nothing!" Jackson stuttered.

"Good, see you all in the morning," Grace said, her smile becoming warm once more.

"We'll be on sabbatical until the others get back so go ahead and sleep in," Asura called to the four as they made their way to the stairs.

When they got to the second floor, Katara pulled DJ back, allowing Leaf and Jackson to pass by. Jackson and Leaf gave the two a quick goodnight before entering their rooms. When their doors closed, Katara gave DJ an expectant look.

"Uh... Yes?"

"Somethings then bothering you," Katara stated bluntly.

"What do you-?"

"Cut the crap," she cut him off. "Aura bond, remember?"

DJ muttered something about stupid aura bonds. "It's nothing really, just something about what I was feeling during my fight with Spire."

"You mean when your mind became hazy," Katara reasoned. "That dark thing you mentioned."

"Yeah," DJ said. "When I think back to it I can't help but compare it to something else that I've felt in the past. Something that I've faced before, except this time, it was coming from me."

"Where do you remember it from?" Katara asked curiously.

"Luke," DJ said. A chill seemed to go through the hallway at his statement. "I can't help but feel like whatever I felt when I was fighting was similar to the power he gained when he absorbed energy from the dark well."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Vacation Time

Three days passed since DJ and the others returned from Chrysolis. True to Asura's words, they were given a 'vacation' of sorts. They were only allowed to relax, as DJ found out when he tried to train and Grace found him. He was still terrified of fountains.

It was on the third day that the remaining four members of Team Stardust returned to the guild house, none worse for where. Except for Blitz, whose fur looked as singed as it did when he fought Magma in the Battle of the Tower.

As soon as he saw Asura, Blitz marched right up to him and glared angrily. "You sent us to a freaking volcano FOR AN ORAN BERRY?!" His voice got steadily louder as he shouted as his leader.

"It was the mission's parameters?" Asura said with a listless shrug.

"But it was for an _oran berry_!" Blitz emphasized, his eyebrow twitching in agitation. "We could have gone to the forest around us and got one, hell, could have gone to a store and purchased one! But know, we had to go to an Arceus damn volcano and find a specific oran berry! I nearly got my tail scorched off by lava!"

"It's you're own fault for running off headfirst," Bertha added.

Blitz rounded on Bertha. "It's not like I had a choice! The berry was about to fall into a lava pit!"

"Which wouldn't have happened if you hadn't fired a thunderbolt at it!"

"I wasn't firing at it! I was firing at a Slugma that was about to eat it!"

Both Bertha and Blitz began to argue vehemently, both of them getting in the others face. Finally having enough of the argument, Jet stepped forward and slammed twin fists on the top of Blitz and Bertha. Blitz face planted from the force of Jet's punch while Bertha's head barely dipped down, her skull softening the blow. In fact, Jet took more damage from punching Bertha as the impact of his fist against her skull caused a visible vibration to run of his body. He clutched his hand in pain as Bertha turned to him with a glare.

"What was that for?" she asked dangerously.

"Your arguing was annoying me," Jet said, wincing as his hand throbbed.

"So you _hit me_?!" she asked angrily, hefting her bone. "Well allow me to return the favor!"

With an overhead swing, Bertha slammed her bone onto Jet's head, sending him to the floor next to Blitz. At this point, Blitz had shakily gotten to his feet, unsure of what happened. Seeing that Bertha was standing above him with her bone held in an aggressive grip, he assumed that she had attacked.

"I'll get you for that!" he roared, pouncing on Bertha. Startled by this action she lost her balance and fell to the floor, her bone flying her grasp.

The two rolled on the floor biting and punching each other, each yelling insults at the other. Jet got up with a groan, clutching his head in pain.

"Now look what you did." Asura chided the Floatzel.

"Well sorry," Jet snapped. "I was trying to stop them!"

"By hitting them?! What made you think that that would work?"

"I don't know?! I didn't think it through!"

"That's why I keep telling you to think before you act!"

Jet and Asura then started to argue with one another, their voices rising above that of the wrestling duo. Their arguments continued for several more minute before Grace finally had enough.

Stepping forward, tick marks forming on her forehead. "Okay, THAT'S ENOUGH!" she shouted, silencing the entire room.

"Now I know tensions are high at the moment, but these senseless arguments are not helping any." She stopped and looked at everyone. "Know, what I recommend is we all take a vacation."

"But we're already on vacation," Asura argued.

"Not this kind of vacation," Grace said, a smile forming on her face. "I was thinking more of an actual vacation to an _actual_ place."

"What place do you have in mind?" Jet asked curiously.

Grace smiled. "I thought you'd never ask." She left the room for a minute or two, the sound of rummaging coming from where she went. She came back with a brochure in her hands and a large smile on her face. "We're going here."

Asura took the brochure from her hands and read it out loud. "Frosalis Resort. A five star resort complete with large water park, casino, a twenty-four hour buffet with five star chefs, a ballroom, ocean excursions, scuba diving, and top of the line masseuses and masseurs. The even have a world class dojo with highly skilled instructors"

"That _does_ sound nice," Jet commented. "That water park especially

"I wouldn't mind checking out that dojo," DJ commented.

"Of course _you_ wouldn't," Katara teased, rolling her eyes. "Though I would love one of those massages."

"Five star buffet," Blitz said, drooling slightly.

"A casino," Bertha mused. "It's been a while since I've gambled." She cracked her knuckles. "Should be fun."

"Indeed," Drake agreed with a smirk.

"I've already booked us rooms for a four day stay," Grace said happily. "We leave tomorrow morning."

"How much did this cost?" Asura asked suspiciously.

"We're going to have so much fun," Grace said, ignoring Asura's question. "The resort is right in front of the ocean so we can also visit the beach! We can-"

"Grace," Asura interrupted. "How much did this cost?"

"H-Huh?" she asked nervously.

"How much," Asura said slowly. "did this cost."

"Oh, you know, not much," Grace babbled, sweat pouring down her face. "Just..."

"Sorry, didn't catch that last part," Asura said, his voice scarily calm.

"Umm, just, you know, thirty thousand poké," she said hurriedly.

"Excuse me?!" Asura spluttered. "Thirty _thousand_ poké?!"

"Yes?" she said uncertainly.

Asura's face went red in anger. He began to breathe slowly in order to gain control of his anger. Once he gained his composure, he spoke.

"How did you get the money for this trip?"

"I may or may not have dipped into our team funds for this," she said nervously.

Asura's rage seemed to come back and he looked like he wanted to explode. He once more forced himself to calm down and, in a very strained voice, said, "Well, it's already done, so we might as well enjoy itself." As he said this, his eyebrow was twitching furiously.

"YAY!" everyone besides Asura cheered happily.

-Legend-

 **Frosalis Resort**

"Wow," Katara said, her eyes sparkling in wonder. "It's huge!"

Team Stardust stood just outside a humongous resort. The resort was made of some kind of white stone that seemed to shine in the sunlight. In front of the building was a large marble fountain depicting twin Milotic intertwined against each other, water spouting from their mouths in a large arc that created a small rainbow in the sunlight. Behind the resort they could see the top of a giant red slide, the sounds of laughing echoing from beyond the resort.

"Welcome to Frosalis Resort," a female Lopunny with a clipboard greeted them. "Names?"

"We should be under Team Stardust," Grace answered.

"Team Stardust," she mumbled to herself, looking at her clipboard. "Ah, here you are. It says that you've paid for four days?"

"That's right," Grace confirmed.

"Okay then," the Lopunny said happily. "My name is Linda and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Now if you'll follow me I'll show you to your rooms." With that, Linda turned to the resort and led Team Stardust inside.

Upon entering the resort, the team were struck dumb by the sheer beauty of the inside of the building. Large crystal chandeliers hung from the large golden ceiling that arched up like the inside of a cathedral. The crystals of the chandeliers reflected the light and bathed the large cathedral like room in a golden light. The floor was made of a smooth hard wood, polished to the point that they shined. Large red carpeted stairs led up to the higher levels of thee resort. Multiple Pokémon walked past them, each with contented smiles on their faces.

Linda led them up the grand staircase and into a large hallway with large doors on either side. It turned out that Grace had paid for them all to have their own rooms, much to Asura's ire. The rooms themselves were large and lavish, each containing large, king size, canopy beds with soft silken sheets. Each possessed large glass doors that led out to balconies that looked out over the ocean.

After a few minutes of situating themselves within their rooms Team Stardust met back up in the main lobby and discussed their plans for the day.

"This place is awesome!" Blitz said bubbly, bouncing on his feet in excitement.

"I have to agree," Blade calmly agreed, though if you listened closely you could hear the excitement in his voice. "This was a lovely idea, Grace."

Grace beamed at Blade's compliment.

"Despite costing us thirty thousand poké," Asura added, causing Grace to smile to become strained.

Grace coughed nervously and shifted topics. "Well, what should we do first?"

"Water park!" Jet shouted.

"Buffet!" Blitz shouted.

"Casino!" Bertha shouted.

"Dojo!" DJ shouted.

The four who answered looked at each other with unyielding glares. An argument broke out between them as all four began to argue where they wanted to go.

"Guys!" Katara intervened. "We have four whole days here. We have plenty of time to do everything."

"Katara's right, we have time to do everything here," Grace said. "Plus, we don't have to do everything together. The point of this vacation is to relax and to do that, some of us..." She looks at Bertha and Blitz. "need some time away from one another."

"So we split up?" Jackson asked.

"Well you don't have to. Just go wherever you want."

"We'll meet up for dinner later tonight," Asura said. "As long as Blitz doesn't clean them out." He shot a pointed look at Blitz who made a show of ignoring the Medicham.

"Have fun everybody!" Grace called

"WOOO!" Blitz shouted, running off in search of the buffet.

"Don't embarrass the team!" Asura called after him, but it was unclear if the Pikachu heard him or not.

The rest of Team Stardust broke apart, heading out to enjoy the resort their own way.

-Legend-

Jet, Jackson, and Katara went towards the back of the resort in order to scope out the water park. Once they reached the giant sliding back doors they were greeted by the sight of five, twisting, red water slides of various sizes, the smallest of them being around fifty feet and the largest being close to a one hundred feet. Each slide led into a fifty by twenty-five meter pool. Multiple Pokémon were either in the pool or traveling down the slides, all of them having a good time.

"It's... it's..." Jackson began.

"Beautiful," Jet muttered.

"Jet, are you crying?" Katara asked in disbelief.

"No! I just have something in my eye!" Katara and Jackson rolled their eyes at the Floatzel's antics.

Jet stood there in silence, simply basking in the sight of the giant slides before him. He then turned to Katara and Jackson, a huge smile on his face.

"Well? Let's go!" With that, he grabbed both Katara and Jackson and dragged them towards the slides, Jackson having to hop along on three legs as Jet had grabbed one of his front legs.

"Jet! Slow down!" Jackson shouted futility, trying to keep up with the exuberant Floatzel on three legs.

"Come on!" Jet shouted, completely disregarding Jackson's comment and pulling them towards the largest slide.

"Why did I agree to this?" Jackson asked himself as he was pulled along.

He pulled them all the way up the stairs to the top of the slide, bypassing many waiting Pokémon that were waiting in line. They gave admonishing shouts at the excited Floatzel, but he ignored them and dragged his two teammates towards the top of the slide. It wasn't until they got to the top that Jet released Katara and Jackson.

"Are you sure about this, Jet?" Katara asked nervously, gazing down the slide. "This is pretty high..."

"Of course I'm sure," Jet said happily. With that, he shoved the two down the slide before diving down headfirst down the slide after his teammates.

"AHHH!" Jackson and Katara shouted in surprise as they found themselves hurtling down the slide. The scenery whipped by, merely blurs of color as they shot down the slide at break-neck pace. They twisted and turned parallel to the slide's form. At one point the two found themselves upside down, but they were too terrified/excited to pay attention. "AHHH!"

 **Splash!**

With one final scream, the two shot from the slide and plunged into the water, sinking several feet into the water. The two swam to the top and broke the surface, Jackson having a hard time keeping his head over the surface, his fur matted down with water. They heard a cry of joy coming from the slide. Jackson and Katara turned just in time to see Jet flying right towards them.

"Crap," Katara managed to get out just as Jet slammed into them.

 **Splash!**

Jet slammed into the duo and pushed them once more beneath the surface. Katara and Jackson broke the surface once more, spluttering and treading water. Jet resurfaced, giving them a shit-eating grin.

"I hate you," Jackson growled at Jet who laughed in response.

"Come on, you know you had fun!"

Both Jackson and Katara gave Jet an indigent huffs, though they had smiles on their faces.

-Legend-

In the buffet room, multiple Pokémon circled a table, several feet in between them and the table. They watched in a mixture of shock and disgust as a Pikachu presided to gorge himself on a mountain of food.

"Can't you at least have _some_ manners?" Blade asked in disgust as he watched Blitz pig out. "You _are_ representing Team Stardust after all."

"Relax, Blade," Blitz said, his mouth full of food. He took a large gulp and spoke again. "I'm just enjoying myself like Grace said."

"Yes, but you're drawing a crowd," Blade said in annoyance, gesturing to the crowd around them who all sheepishly turned away and pretended like they hadn't been watching. "Plus it's revolting to watch you stuff your face in such a manner."

"If you didn't want to watch me eat, then wide you come?" Blitz asked in a casual manner, grabbing some more food from his plate.

"Because I wanted to sample the delicacies that are offered here," Blade replied regally, taking a bite of his own food. "And I must say, this food is divine."

"Well that's something we can agree on," Blitz said, stiffing a belch.

"Quite," Blade said reproachfully.

"You know, this place really is beautiful." Blade was surprised by Blitz's sudden comment.

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"It's just that I'm grateful that Grace did this for us." Blitz looked over to the large glass doors that led outside. "We all needed this, I think."

Blade smiled softly. "Yeah, I have to agree with you there. We've all been working hard and this is the perfect way to unwind."

"It's times like this that I realize how lucky I am to be part of such an awesome team." Blitz turned back to Blade and gave him a megawatt smile. "I don't say this enough, but I care about you guys. All of you. I know I act like an idiot all the time, but I truly am grateful for you all."

Blade blushed slightly at Blitz's sincerity. He gave an intentional huff and turned back to his food.

"Eat your food," he said pointedly without any bite to his words. Blitz could only chortle in response.

-Legend-

"You know, you didn't have to come with me, Leaf," DJ said, his paws laced behind his head. "If you wanted to do something to relax, you could."

DJ had immediately went in the direction of the dojo. The knowledge that there were highly skilled instructors present was enough to make the overenthusiastic fighting type drool with anticipation. Leaf ended up following him silently, apparently not having anything else to do.

"It is alright, Alpha," Leaf replied. "I am afraid I am inexperienced in regards to resorts. I would have no idea of where to go or what to do."

"Well we're in the same boat in that regard," DJ laughed. "If I've ever gone to a resort, I have no memories of it."

The duo came upon a large shōji door, which looked fairly out of place along the grandeur of the rest of the resort. On the other side of the thin door the sounds of fighting and battle cries. DJ reached out and slid the paper door open and were greeted by a very large and accommodating room. The floors were made of the same wood that as the rest of the resort, but a large blue mat on top. On the opposite wall there was a large mirror that spread across the entire back wall. Several punching bags and other heavy bags.

All throughout the room there were dozens of of Pokémon, mainly fighting types, sparring with each other under the direction of several others, most likely the instructors. Under the watchful eyes of the instructors, the assembled vacationers were throwing punches, kicks, and various other attacks towards those that were sparring. Several of those Pokémon were using the heavy bags.

"Hello!" a Sawk called out to the duo. "Are you here for a training session."

"Yes, please," DJ said eagerly while Leaf simply nodded.

The Sawk gave both of them warm smiles. "It's always nice to see one's as young as yourselves show such passion in the art of combat."

Suddenly the Sawk blurred out of existence and DJ and Leaf found themselves hurtling through the air before they slammed into the matted floor on their backs. The Sawk looked down at them from the spot where they once stood, his face once warm and kind replaced by a visage of cold sternness.

"From now and until your training is done you will refer to me as Sensei," the Sawk said in a steely voice. "Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes," DJ and Leaf responded weakly.

"Then get up!" he commanded, causing Leaf and DJ to jump to their feet. "Now come at me!"

"B-Both of us?" DJ asked uncertainly.

"Did I stutter?!" the Sawk shouted.

"No, sir!" DJ and Leaf yelped simultaneously, dashing towards the Sawk.

Leaf reached the Sawk first and threw a punch at the Sawk only for him to grab the Grovyle's arm and flip him over his shoulder and slammed him into the mat. He then spins around and grabs DJ's outstretched arm and pulled him into an arm bar. The Sawk then sweeps DJ's leg and sends the young Riolu onto his back.

Just as DJ hit the ground, he kicked out with his foot and slammed it into the elder fighting type's shin. However, instead of the Sawk reeling back in pain, a shudder went through DJ's entire body as it felt like he had just kicked solid steel.

"Yow!" DJ howled in pain as he clutched his leg.

"A good attempt," the Sawk said. "But useless against one as conditioned to pain as me."

He then kicks DJ in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs, and sending him into Leaf, who was just getting up. The both collapsed onto the ground in a tangled mass of limbs.

"Get up!" the Sawk commanded. "We're not done yet!"

"Alpha?" Leaf asked.

"Yes, Leaf?" DJ responded weakly.

"I think I would like to do something relaxing now."

-Legend-

"Oh yeah!" Bertha shouted gleefully as she pulled down the lever of the slot machine she was sitting in front of.

The three dials spun rapidly. The first stopped at the image of a chuckling Mew. The second one landed on the same image. Bertha leaned closer in anticipation. The third dial slowed down, teetering on an image of a glaring Voltorb before it landed on the same Mew picture as the other three.

"Yes!" she cheered as coins spilled out of the machine. "Another jackpot!"

The casino that she currently resided in was overly large and lit up with the sounds and lights of the flashing machines. The floors were carpeted with a soft red fabric with spherical designs on the carpet. At the far end of the casino was a bar with a single Panpour standing behind it and wiping a glass, a wide closed-lipped smile on their face. Several Pokémon could be seen sitting at the bar and ordering various drinks in order to wash away the sorrow of losing. All around various Pokémon were either cheering and cursing loudly.

At the other end of the casino, Drake was sitting stoically at a poker table, five cards held precariously in his claws. Also around the table were three other Pokémon, a Loudred, a Swampert, and a Miltank, each of whom were sweating nervously. In front of Drake was a large mound of poker chips, completely dwarfing the almost nothingness that the other three had.

The three Pokémon nervously looked at their cards then to Drake, then back to their cards.

"I fold," the Loudred said, throwing his cards face down on the table.

"Me too," the Miltank sighed, mimicking the action.

The Swampert refused to fold, glaring at Drake with a nervous intensity, trying to see gauge Drake's reactions. Unfortunately, Drake's face gave no emotion, his face remaining blank as he gazed at the Swampert, making the water-ground type even more nervous.

After a few seconds of internal debate, the Swampert placed her cards on the table face up. "Straight flush!" he declared, showing his cards, a three, a four, a five, a six, and a seven, all of spades.

Drake did not move or say anything for a few seconds and the Swampert began to gain confidence. That confidence was then dashed as the Gabite placed his cards on the table slowly and deliberately.

"Royal flush," Drake said coolly, showing his cards. He presented a ten, a jack, a queen, a king, and an ace, all of the same suite.

"GAAH!" the Swampert cried, throwing his hands into the air as the dealer pushed the chips in the center to Drake, increasing his already ridiculously large pile.

Drake smirked minutely as he gazed at the giant pile of chips before him. "I like this game," he said simply.

-Legend-

"See? Isn't this nice?" Grace asked, sighing in content.

She had all but dragged Asura to the spa in order to receive a full treatment. From manicures to pedicures, Asura went through it all. Currently they were on two separate beds, receiving massages from two very skilled Gardevoir.

"Yeah, yeah," Asura tried to say in an uncaring tone, but the sigh of satisfaction that escaped his mouth made it less believable.

"Oh, stop acting so stiff," Grace chided. "We're on vacation. Loosen up, will you!"

"I feel like I would be enjoying this more if you hadn't spent all of our money on this trip." Grace gave him a deadpan look.

"Are you still on that? Let it go, Asura. Plus it wasn't all our money."

"Almost all of it."

"Well it's too late now, so you might as well enjoy yourself."

"Hmph."

"Oh, don't be like that, Asura. You, and the rest of us, have been working so hard. We needed this."

"Yes, but I wish you had consulted me before you went off and spent all that money."

"But you would have said 'no'," she whined.

"Exactly."

"Look, I'm sorry for tricking you, but I don't regret it," Grace said with conviction. "We all needed a break and this was the only way I could drag you away from the guild house and force you to relax."

Asura gave no verbal retort, just an almost inaudible grunt as he looked at the floor. He understood that Grace had his best in mind when she went through with this plan, but he couldn't help but feel slight resentment for her going behind his back like this. He was, however, secretly thankful for an excuse to unwind in such a manner having grown tired from the constant missions and assignments.

Despite his best efforts to keep his facade of displeasure, a contented smile slowly found its way upon Asura's face. He gave a content sigh and allowed his eyes to close as he allowed himself to relax fully into the feeling of the massage. Grace saw this and smiled to herself before closing her eyes and relaxing as well. The two masseuses shot each other knowing looks and continued the massages with small smiles on their faces.

-Legend-

When Team Stardust met back up it was already late at night. The moon was full and hung high in the sky. The team were currently seated in the buffet room, multiple lamps hung along the sides of the room lit up the spacious room. Several other tables were occupied by the resorts other inhabitants, the majority of the vacationers were in their rooms as it was fairly late at night.

"Ugh," Blitz moaned, clutching his stomach in obvious discomfort. "I don't feel good."

"Probably because you ate all that food earlier," Blade chided.

"Then you ate more when we all met up for dinner!" Bertha added.

"Come on, give me some sympathy. I'm in pain!" Blitz groaned.

"You have only yourself to blame," Blade said unsympathetically. "I told you not to eat so much earlier. You only made it worse when ate even more."

"So what did you all do today?" Grace asked, ignoring the over-dramatic Pikachu that was still groaning in his seat.

"We went to the water park!" Jet said excitedly, his entire body almost vibrating with energy. "Those slides were huge!"

"Yes they were," Jackson groaned in annoyance, slamming his head on the table in tired annoyance. "He dragged us to each slide _five_ times!"

"Oh, you liked them," Jet said, patting Jackson's head.

"I would have liked them more if you didn't literally drag me up the stairs then practically throw me down the slides!" Jackson shouted.

"Whatever," Jet huffed, turning his head to the side.

Katara sweat-dropped at the duo antics and laughed nervously. "So what did you do, Grace?" she asked.

"She dragged me to the spa," Asura grunted before Grace could answer.

"Oh, you had fun," Grace said, rolling his eyes.

"Is anyone else getting déjà vu here?" DJ joked.

"So what did _you_ do, pup?" Grace asked annoyed, though there was no bite to her voice. "I take it you went to the dojo."

Both DJ and Leaf gave twin shudders as they thought back to their training with Brick. "First rule of Brick's training: don't talk about Brick's training!" DJ shouted while Leaf rubbed a phantom injury on his arm.

"Oookay," Bertha said awkwardly. "Anyway, Drake and I made a killing at the casino. We actually won enough to pay for another week's stay and then some!"

"Well at least we have that money back," Asura sighed in relief.

"Who said we were giving you our money~?" Bertha challenged, raising a eyebrow, which they were unable to see as it was covered by her skull.

"What?!" Asura shouted in disbelief.

"It's our money, so we decide what we do with it~" Bertha said matter-of-factly.

"B-B-But...!" Asura was at a loss of words. "What would you do with all that money?!"

"Ice cream," Drake said seriously. Everyone looked at him strangely.

"I can't tell if your serious or not," Blitz said.

"Me neither and I can sense emotions," DJ added.

Drake only smirked in response.

Katara gave a contented sigh and looked out the galls doors at the moon. "I'm really glad we came here." Everyone paused from their own conversations and turned to Katara. "I mean this is the first time we've been able to all sit down together and relax like this sense I've joined."

"I know what you mean," Bertha said. "It's nice."

"It's times like these I wish time would freeze so this moment would last forever," Jackson said wistfully.

The rest of the team fell into a comfortable silence, simply basking in the feeling of being with close friends.

"Anyway, we've still got three more days here after tonight, so what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Grace asked, breaking the silence.

"I say we all take a day to visit the beach," Katara proposed.

"That could be fun. As long as a certain Floatzel doesn't throw me into the water," Jackson said with a glare directed at Jet.

"Oh, stop being a spoil sport, Jackson," Jet teased, flicking his forehead.

"I'll bite you if you do that again," Jackson threatened half-heartedly.

Jet smirked cheekily and began waving his finger in front of Jackson's face. "I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you~"

"Jet, stop being a child," Grace chastised.

"Yes, _Mom_ ," Jet said in a tone much like a child would use when they are reluctant to do something asked of them.

"Don't sass me, mister," Grace in a false sternness, playing along.

"Getting back on track!" Asura interjected. "I think a trip the beach would be nice."

"It should be sunny all day tomorrow," Blade added. "It will be the perfect day for it."

"Sounds like a plan," DJ agreed.

"So it's settled!" Grace clasped her hands together and beamed at them. "We head to the beach tomorrow!"

"Yeah!" they all cheered.

"AAAHH!" They all jumped when a blood curdling scream echoed through the room. They turned towards the direction of the scream and saw that the scream came from a female Croconaw who was shaking a Smeargle that was sitting next to her, their face in their food and unmoving.

"What was that?" one of the patrons, a Koffing, asked, looking around the room.

"What was what?" Bertha asked them.

Just as she said this, a ball of black energy that was outlined in a dark purple aura shot out from seemingly nowhere and struck the Croconaw that was trying to wake the unmoving Smeargle. When the sphere hit her it expanded and encased her entire body. The shadowy prison then faded away and the Croconaw gained a glazed look in her eye before falling forward next to the Smeargle.

A second passed before the remaining patrons all screamed in terror and began to panic. Team Stardust at this point leapt up from the table and began to look around for where the attack came from. Asura noticed movement from the corner of his eye. Turning to it he saw another shadowy sphere flying at them, and more specifically, Grace.

"Grace!" Asura shouted, leaping towards Grace and shoved her out of the way.

Grace's eyes widened as she was forcibly pushed away. Turning to Asura she could only watch helplessly as the same sphere that hit the Croconaw hit their leader. Asura's eyes widened as the attack hit him, before they glazed over and he fell to the ground, face-first.

"ASURA!" Grace shouted in shock, disbelief, and horror as her friend and leader fell to the ground. She practically dove to Asura's side and began to shake him. "Please, get up!"

"Where did that come from?!" Katara shouted just as another one of the spheres hit one of the other patrons.

DJ closed his eyes and attempted to use his aura sight to pinpoint their assailant. He saw, what looked to be a rather tall figure floating on the ceiling, but the strange thing was that the figure had no dimension to their form.

DJ's eyes snapped open and shot to the ceiling, his eyes locking onto what looked like a moving shadow. "Above us!"

Just as these words left his mouth the shadowy figure raised its hands and multiple shadowy spheres shot out from the shadows.

The remaining patrons all screamed in terror and began to run towards the exits. Team Stardust began to dodge and evade the falling spheres and began to fire their own attacks at the shadow, however their attacks only hit the ceiling while the shadow seemed to be able to shift out of the way.

"This isn't working!" Katara shouted, hurling another water pulse at the shadow only for it to dodge out of the way. "We have to try something el-!"

She was cut off when one of the spheres hit her, sending her to the ground as well.

"KATARA!" DJ called out to her. He tried to move to to her downed form, but had to leap back to avoid another sphere that hit the ground in front of them.

"We've go to move!" Jackson shouted, taking cover behind one of the food stations and poking his head out every once in a while to fire attacks at the shadow.

"Come on, Grace," Jet said, grabbing her arm and tugging her away from Asura's downed form. As he was pulling her along one of the spheres hit him in the back and he too fell to the ground.

The room descended into further chaos, screams of terror echoing through the room. The spheres fell down like rain, hitting many of the panicked Pokémon as they tried to flee. Bertha, Blade, and Leaf too fell to the same fate. The remaining members of Team Stardust had found places to hide and continued to attack the shadow, but their attacks found no purchase.

Then as suddenly as the attacks began, they stopped. An echoing laugh full of sinister superiority cut through the now silent room. Team Stardust peeked out from their spots and saw the shadow still floating on the ceiling. The shadow then slunk across the ceiling, down to the wall, and out the door.

The group waited a few seconds before moving out from their hiding places. Looking around, they saw all of the remaining patrons that had tried to escape were on the ground and not moving.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" Blitz shouted from his hiding place.

"I don't know," Grace said, her voice shaky. She moved over to Asura's downed form and rolled him on his back. Asura's eyes were closed, but he was breathing. "They're alive, but..."

She narrowed her eyes as she inspected Asura's face. He seemed to be in some kind of distress as his eyes were scrunched up and his mouth twisted in what appeared to be fear. His body was moving erratically. It was like he was either fighting or running.

"It looks like he's having a nightmare," Grace commented in concern.

"Katara as well," DJ called out sadly.

"These guys too," Jackson said grimly, looking over the unconscious patrons.

"Whatever those attacks were, they put everyone to sleep and put them in a nightmare," Grace reasoned.

Before any of them could say anymore a Kricketune ran into the room. The Kricketune was out of breath and panting in desperation. When the Kricketune saw that they were still conscious he gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, you're awake," he said.

"What's happening?" Blitz demanded.

"We're not sure, but almost everyone has fallen asleep and we can't wake them."

"So it wasn't just us that was attacked?" DJ asked.

"No," the Kricketune said sadly. "The entire resort was attacked."

-Legend-

Several hours passed and in that time the still conscious members of Team Stardust, along with the conscious staff members, had moved those that were put to sleep in the dining room to makeshift beds. They stood in front of their unconscious team members and were only able to watch on helplessly as their friends were trapped within nightmares. Not only that, but those that were asleep during this event were too trapped within nightmares.

"That's the last of them," a female Frilish said, gently lowering an unconscious Mankey onto one of the beds.

"Do you have any idea what could have caused this?" Jackson asked hopefully.

"Unfortunately, no," the Frilish said sadly. "This has never happened before."

"I know what this is," a monotone voice rang out. They all turned and saw a Bronzong floated over to them.

"What is it?" Grace asked, her tone full of hopeful desperation.

"In all my years of existence, I have only heard of one Pokémon that can put others to sleep in such a manner as well as trap them in an unending nightmare," the Bronzong said. "and that Pokémon is Darkrai."

A sudden chill seemed to go through the room, causing everyone to shiver unconsciously.

"Darkrai?" Grace asked in almost a whisper. "This was caused by Darkrai?"

"It appears so," the Bronzong said, while his voice held no emotion, their seemed to be an edge of trepidation to his voice. "It also stands to reason that only he can reverse what has happened to all these Pokémon."

"Who's Darkrai?" DJ asked.

"He's a legendary," Drake explained, speaking for the first time sense his brother was trapped within his nightmare induced sleep. "A rare type of Pokémon that possess incredible strength and power."

"They've even been considered gods amongst Pokémon," Jackson added. "There are also one of each species of legendaries."

"So Darkrai caused this," DJ said, his paws curling into tight fists as he looked at all of the Pokémon trapped in nightmares, his eyes stopping on Katara, his first friend. "Where can we find him?"

"I am unsure," the Bronzong said. "I am only visiting this area and, as such, have no knowledge on the landscape."

"I'm not sure if this could help, but there's an island a few miles out from the shore," a Pinsir pipped in, approaching the group along with Kricketune from earlier. "You're not thinking of going after Darkrai, are you?"

"There's no other choice," DJ said grimly. "He's the only one who can reverse this."

"But he's a legendary!" the Frilish shouted in objection. "There's no way you can beat him by yourself!"

"He won't be alone," Jackson said as he and the remaining members of Team Stardust stood next to DJ.

"Even if there are more of you, you still stand little chance against a legendary," the Bronzong said.

"That doesn't matter," Grace said with conviction, glancing to her sleeping teammates. "We're Team Stardust and we will help those in need regardless of the risk!"

"But-"

"You can't talk us out of this," Blitz interrupted. "We're a resistance team. We've done plenty of dangerous things before. This is no different.

The Pinsir sighed, but relented. "Alright."

The Kricketune turned to his fellow staff member in disbelief. "Roshi, you can't be serious! They're just kids! We can't let them-!"

"That's enough, Dimitry," the now named Roshi cut him off. "It's obvious that we won't be able to convince you to not go. The least we can do is provide you with transportation to the island."

Dimitry still looked mutinous about Roshi's decision, but he relented. "Fine then, I'll call the pier and see if I can get one of the boats."

"That will be greatly appreciated," Grace said gratefully. She then turned to the unconscious members of their team with a determined gaze. "Don't worry guys, we'll save you. I swear it!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Enter the Nightmare

After quickly preparing themselves for the ensuing battle, DJ, Grace, Blitz, Jackson, and Drake hitched a ride on a small speed boat provided by the staff of Frosalis Resort and headed straight for the island that housed Darkrai. The group remained silently as they traveled to the island, instead preferring to mentally prepare themselves with the confrontation with the legendary and think about their sleeping teammates.

"We're here," Roshi said grimly from the helm of the speed boat. His two barbed horns were clicking together nervously and his teeth were slightly shattering.

Turning to face forward, the five members of of Team Stardust saw an island with a jungle with a variety of large trees. A large surrounded the back of the island, forming a wall that kept Pokémon from landing on the island from the other side. As they got closer to the island they could see, with the help of the moonlight, that the sand was pitch black and the leaves of the large trees were a dark blue almost black color.

Roshi began to slow down the boat until they were in shallow waters. Pulling the boat to a complete stopped he gave Team Stardust a grim and almost pitying look.

"I'm sorry, but this is as far as I go. I'll wait for you here, but I won't go any further."

"That's fine," Grace said as she and the rest of the group got out of the boat and began to make their way to shore. "You've done enough for us already."

"Before you go I have to tell you that the island past the tree line is one big mystery dungeon. Also, at the cliff, at the very end of the dungeon, there is a cave opening. That is most likely where you will find Darkrai."

"Great, we have to fight wild Pokémon before we fight the all powerful legendary," DJ said sarcastically. "Fantastic."

"Thank you for telling us," Grace said, ignoring DJ. "If we're not back before dawn please contact the guildmaster of Gallade's Guild and tell him what's happened."

"I will," Roshi said with a nod. "Good luck."

The five young Pokémon gave the Pinsir determined nods and padded through the water and to the black beach.

"So what's the game plan, Grace?" Blitz asked.

"I'll take point with Drake guarding our rear," Grace said, her eyes straight ahead. "We'll have to be cautious upon entering this dungeon. No unnecessary risks."

The rest of the group nodded their heads in understanding. They came to the tree line that separated them from the mystery dungeon. Looking through the jungle they could see a strange distortion that blanketed the inside of the jungle. Off to the side was a teleport gem, glowing faintly with psychic energy. Looking at each other, they gave each other determined nods before following Grace into the dungeon.

 **Nightmare Isle 1F**

The dead looking trees lined the inside of the dungeon, their branches twisting and contorting in various angles. The trees completely blocked out the sky, the only light coming from strange luminescent mushrooms that grew at the roots of the trees. The ground was almost completely covered by the dark blue leaves that had fallen from the trees. Sounds of hooting and buzzing echoed through the darkened jungle. All in all, the forest gave off a vibe of trepidation that would send the weak-hearted scurrying off in the opposite direction.

Undeterred by the looks of the jungle, Team Stardust pushed forward, moving cautiously as they followed the tree lined path that twisted and turned like a maze. The leaves crunched under their feet as they walked adding to the sounds of the jungle.

"I wonder if those mushrooms are edible," Blitz commented offhandedly.

"Be serious, Blitz," Grace scolded. "We're here to save your teammates, not contemplate the edibility of fungi!"

"Well sorry!" Blitz snapped. "I make jokes when I'm nervous!"

"Shh!" Drake shushed them, his head tilted up slightly. "I think I hear someth-"

"HOOT!"

The group looked up just in time to see a Noctowl diving towards them. The group quickly dodged the dive bombing flying type and immediately prepared themselves to fight. Before any of them could act, the Noctowl flapped its wings hard creating a large gust of wind that headed straight towards the group.

Having no way to dodge the blast wind, the group attempted to brace themselves as the wind buffeted them. With a cry of pain, DJ was sent flying back from by the super effective attack and slammed into one of the trees. Soon after Blitz, being the lightest of the group (despite how mush he ate), was sent flying back as well.

As soon as the winds dies down, Drake dashed forward, his claws glowing white. Getting in front of the Noctowl, he slashed in an 'x' pattern with a twin slash attack, but the Noctowl flapped its wings and took to the skies and avoided the attack.

Blitz, recovering from his sudden introduction to the trees, shot a powerful thunderbolt at the flying type. Much to his ire, the Noctowl veered to the side and avoided the attack. Undeterred by this, Blitz continued to fire multiple bolts of lightning at the Noctowl.

The Noctowl managed to avoid Blitz's attack for a little while, but eventually on bolt slammed into it. The Noctowl screeched in pain before dropping to the ground where it did not move again.

Panting slightly from exertion, Blitz smirked at the downed bird. "Heh, got ya'."

"Are you okay, DJ?" Jackson asked his friend who was just now getting up.

"Yeah, it just caught me off guard," DJ said.

"I told you to be careful," Grace said. "This is a very dangerous situation we're in. We cant' afford to take a lot of damage before we face Darkrai."

"I know, I know."

"Then let's keep going. And remember, pay attention."

No sooner had she said this when a brown blur shot out from a nearby bush and slammed into her. Grace let out a shriek, more of surprise then pain, and stumbled back.

The blur turned out to be a rather irate Nuzleaf. It raised its hand, dark energy coalescing it, and swung towards Grace, who was still too surprised to react. Before the Nuzleaf's feint attack could make contact with the stunned shiny Mawile, it was hit from behind by a dark pulse and thunderbolt combination. With a cry of pain, the Nuzleaf was sent flying barreling into a tree with a sickening crack.

"What were you saying about paying attention?" DJ asked innocently, though the effect was ruined by the shit-eating grin on his face.

"Sh-Shut up!" Grace said, blushing furiously.

Before DJ could antagonize her anymore, the Nuzleaf gave a disgruntled growl as it got to its feet. It then gave off an earsplitting screech that seemed to reverberate through the jungle. The group covered their ears in an attempt to stifle the screech, but it did little to nothing. Having enough of the wild Pokémon's screeching, DJ held up one hand and fired a small aura sphere at the Nuzleaf. The glowing sphere soared through the air and slammed into the Nuzleaf, exploding upon contact.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the Nuzleaf was on the ground, its body completely still save for the ragged rise and fall of its chest.

However before the group could celebrate three screeches echoed from inside the jungle itself Three Nuzleaf soon burst from the tree line and glared at the group.

Growling in annoyance, Drake dashed forward and leapt into the air. He flattened his body so he was parallel to the ground and shot towards the three Nuzleaf, white line appearing behind him as he went. Before the three wild Pokémon could react Drake curved his flight path and slammed into all three of them, knocking them into the air.

Seeing an opportunity to strike, Grace spun on her heal, the purple jaws on the back of her head took on a light pink glow as she did this. With a shout, the jaws whipped around stirring up a wind that mixed with the pink energy that was coating the jaws. A burst of pink wind blasted forth from the jaws and caught the three Nuzleaf in a torrent of wind and fairy energy.

The Nuzleaf gave off cries of pain, as they were thrown withing the pink tornado. When the winds finally faded, the trio of wild Pokémon fell bonelessly to the ground.

"Five Pokémon in the span of ten minutes. That must be some kind of record," Jackson commented.

"It might be more than that. Look!" DJ said, pointing behind them. True to DJ's words, two Mankey and a Liepard were stalking towards.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Blitz whined.

"Just ignore them and run!" Grace said, running down the path, away from the three wild Pokémon. "We don't have any time to waste!"

"Right!" the other four shouted, hurrying after their current leader, the wild Pokémon in hot pursuit.

The group of five ran down the winding paths of the distorted jungle. The wild Pokémon behind them would howled and screeched in displeasure as they continued to run from them, but they kept on running. Unfortunately for the group, the constant cries of the wild Pokémon attracted other wild Pokémon that dwelled on the first floor of the dungeon. As such, Team Stardust was forced to fight off a few random Pokémon that would jump out at them.

After a few minutes of constant running and fighting, the group finally made it to the room which contained the stairs for the next floor of the dungeon. Making a mad dash to the stairs, avoiding multitude of wild Pokémon that attempted to attack them.

Skidding to a stop, just in front of the stairs, she frantically waved her four teammates forward. As they ran past her, Grace glared at their pursuers and unleashed a powerful fairy wind at them, entrapping the majority of them with a spiral of pink wind and halting the rest from moving on. Smiling at her handiwork, Grace turned and followed her teammates to the next floor.

 **Nightmare Isle 2F**

"That was ridiculous!" Blitz cried out. "I've never encountered _that_ many Pokémon on just _one_ floor!"

"That makes two of us," Jackson sighed.

"Any ideas of why they swarmed us like that?" DJ asked.

"They appeared to be attracted to the sounds of the Pokémon that we fought," Drake said contemplatively. "They could be attracted to sound."

"That could be considering there's little to no light here," Grace reasoned. "Without much light, these Pokémon probably rely on hearing more than sight."

"I guess that makes since," Drake said. "That means we have to be quiet as we traverse through this dungeon."

"How are we supposed to do that when the leaves on the ground sound like someone's breaking a bunch of crackers!" To prove his point, Blitz stomped on the ground, creating a loud crunching sound as his foot crushed the leaves underneath him.

"We'll just have to do the best we can," Grace cut in. "That means minimal talking." She gave Blitz a pointed look as she said this.

"What? There's no way that I'm attracting Pokémon," Blitz said affronted. "We just got here!"

Before anymore could be said, the sound of low growling came to their ears. Spinning around to face the tree line, five Pokémon entered the room they were currently in; a Mankey, a Mightyena, two Pansage, and an Absol. All of them glared at the assembled Pokémon before them and growled angrily.

"Oh, come one!" Blitz whined in despair as the Pokémon pounced at them. "This place is a nightmare!"

-Legend-

 **Nightmare Isle** **Rest Point**

Going through yet another floor of Nightmare Isle, Team Stardust entered a floor that was nothing but a large clearing with a large stone statue shaped like a Kangaskhan in the center and a single path that led on.

Before reaching the current room, Team Stardust had practically waded through the wild Pokémon that popped out at them at almost every turn. So far they had received little to no damage from their opposing Pokémon, but they were exhausted after dealing with so many Pokémon.

"Does anyone know what floor this is?" Blitz groaned, falling onto his stomach.

"Sorry, I was more focused on the sheer amount of Pokémon that we encountered," Jackson responded, also sitting on the ground, though a lot more gracefully than Blitz.

"Well we know that we're almost there because of the Kangaskhan rock." Grace gestured to the statue in question. "We probably only have a few more floors to go."

"Can we take a break first?" DJ asked, sitting next to Jackson and Blitz. "I'm bushed!"

Grace gave off a relenting sighed. "We'll take a short five minute break, but no more."

"Thank you," Blitz, relaxing further into the ground.

"Hey, Drake?" DJ asked after a few seconds of silence. "What else do you know about Darkrai? Like, I know that he's a legendary and everything, but what can he do specifically?"

"Well, as you saw, he has the ability to put Pokémon to sleep," Drake said. "And while that is an skill that many other Pokémon can do, Darkrai's is a lot more potent. On top of that, his very presence induces nightmares upon those sleeping."

"His presence?"DJ questioned.

"Yes. That is why he's know as the nightmare Pokémon." A chill seemed to run through the clearing, causing Blitz to give an involuntary shiver.

"Great, well how are we supposed to keep up with power like that?!" Blitz cried out.

"I've also heard that Darkrai had the ability to move within shadows," Jackson added.

"That would explain why none of our attacks seemed to make contact with him when he was putting everyone to sleep," Grace said thoughtfully.

"Not helping!" Blitz shouted.

"Oh, calm down Blitz," DJ said. "We'll just have to be careful with how we approach the fight."

"DJ's right," Grace said. "We can't afford to psych ourselves out. We have to go into battle with clear heads. Now let's get moving, Darkrai's not going to fight himself."

"I wish he would," Blitz grumbled as he got to his feet and followed his team down the path.

 **Deep Nightmare Isle 1F**

The five members of Team Stardust entered the next floor and were greeted by a very large room, larger than the other rooms that they had been in whilst in this dungeon. The room had various items ranging from berries to random coins that were left there by previous travelers. At the opposite end of the room was the staircase.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," DJ said uncertainly, his eyes shifting back and forth.

Just as he said this no fewer than a dozen Pokémon had leapt into the room from the jungle. The Pokémon assembled were all at various stages of their evolution line and they were all glaring angrily at the group.

"Monster house!" Grace shouted, blasting a Pansage that had tried to leap at her away with a powerful fairy wind. "Run to the stairs!"

The wild Pokémon all roared and charged the assembled group of five. The group all ran forward, keeping close together as to not be separated amongst all of the Pokémon that filled the large room.

It was utter chaos. Pokémon came from every direction, all angry and all wanting the chance to get a piece of the group. They all attacked at once without any sense of direction or caution for those around them, the only thing on their mind was desire to attack the five members of Team Stardust.

"YOW!" DJ gave a startled yelp as he felt fangs pierce his tail. He turned and smashed a power-up punch into the face of the Poochyena that bit him, knocking it away. "Why is it always the tail?"

"Keep going!" Grace shouted while using crunch with her second jaws on a Hoothoot.

Seven Ninjask buzzed angrily and dive-bombed the group as they ran. Seeing them, Blitz fired a powerful thunderbolt at them, knocking out four of them while the other three dodged. The remaining Ninjask, seeing that Blitz had taken out several of their group, slashed at him with their claws. Blitz barely managed to dodged the three attacks by diving to the side, causing the Ninjask to veer off course.

Seeing his teammate being attack by three enemies, Drake shot into the air after them and slammed into them with an aerial ace. The Ninjask wobbled in the air, but remained flying. They glared at Drake as he fell back to the ground, but before they could act a dark pulse cut through the air and hit the Ninjask, sending them crashing into the ground.

Drake turned to Jackson and gave him a nod of thanks. Jackson returned the nod with a smile before he had to duck down to avoid several glowing seeds that cut through the air a high speeds. Jackson turned towards the direction of the attack and fired a shadow ball in that direction.

Grace, who was still ahead of the group, leading the team in a 'V' formation, unleashed another powerful fairy wind at the group of wild Pokémon that was moving in from ahead. The strength behind Grace's attack was powerful enough to create a decently sized pink tornado that swept up the group that had tried to cut off Team Stardust's escape route. As the wild Pokémon were thrown into the air, DJ sniped them out of the air with several well placed aura spheres.

A loud howl cut through the various cries and roars and a large Houndoom leapt over several the wild Pokémon charged Grace. As it ran, it opened its mouth and unleashed a large blast of fire at Grace.

Grace was caught off guard by the sudden attack and only just managed to lean out of the way, keeping herself from taking the brunt of the hit. The attack was, however, enough to fall to one knee in pain and surprise. The Houndoom continued to charge towards her, its maw alighting with red hot flames. It opened its mouth to bite down on Grace with a fire fang, but was stopped by an aura sphere blowing up in its mouth as he opened it.

The Houndoom reared back in agony and shock, coughing violently as smoke poured from its maw, its eyes wide in surprise. Before it could do anything else, DJ rocketed towards it and punched it in the face with a power-up punch, causing the large fire-dark type to stumble back.

The wild Houndoom shook its head, reeling from the hit, but recovered quickly and shot a dark pulse at DJ. DJ leaned back in order to dodge the attack, the convergence of black and purple rings to miss his snout by an inch. As he straightened his body, DJ formed an aura sphere in his paws and fired it at the Houndoom.

Seeing the glowing sphere heading straight towards it, the Houndoom jumped away and fired a flamethrower at DJ. DJ threw himself to the side to avoid the flamethrower, forming another aura sphere as he fell to the ground. As soon as he hit the ground, DJ sent the sphere flying towards the dark dog. This time, the aura sphere met its mark and slammed into the Houndoom's flank. The Houndoom was sent flying into several of the still approaching wild Pokémon.

Seeing his current foe down and out, DJ moved to Grace's side and pulled her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Grace assured. She then pulled DJ behind her and shot a fairy wind at a Shiftry that had jumped at them with a leaf blade. The Shiftry was blown away by the powerful fairy type attack and fell into another Shiftry. "Keep moving!" she shouted, resuming her run towards the stairs, the rest of the team running close behind.

The team continued to push forward, only stopping to defend against attack or to attack enemies that got too close. However, slowly but surely, the made it to the staircase. With a burst of speed, the group made a mad dash towards the staircase and exited the floor.

 **Nightmare Isle Clearing**

The group of five found themselves outside the jungle and in a clearing facing a large cliff face. Behind them the jungle still stood ominously, the distortion of space caused by the presence of the mystery dungeon causing the jungle look like it was shimmering.

"Are we out of the dungeon?" Blitz asked in surprise.

"It appears so." Drake looked critically at the distorted jungle.

"Well that's good for us," DJ said. "Now we can focus of Darkrai."

"Speaking of which..." Jackson turned to face the cliff face, his piercing red eyes roaming over large semi-circle of rock. He eyes zeroed in on an opening along the cliff, about as large as an average size door. He raised a paw and pointed at the opening. "The cave is right there."

The rest of the team looked at the opening in silence. As they had been traveling through the dungeon, there thoughts, for the most part, had been on navigating the dungeon. Now that they were out of the dungeon they now had nothing to keep their thoughts from their impending battle with Darkrai.

They were all apprehensive about going up against a legendary, especially one with the power to trap other Pokémon within unending nightmares. Yes, they wanted to help their friends, but that did not make it any less nerve-racking.

Taking a calming breath, Grace turned to her team, a determined gleam in her eye. "Well guys... this is it."

"Are we really ready for this?" Jackson asked uncertainly. "I mean, he _is_ a legendary after all."

"You can't expect us to just leave after we came all this way and let our teammates suffer in an unending nightmare!" Blitz exclaimed, getting angry.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Jackson snapped back angrily. "All I'm saying is that we came here without any items or any other help and we're going up against a _legendary!_ Going up against him as is is risky."

"So you want us to turn tail and run _now_?! If you didn't want to come here without items, why didn't you say something before?!"

"Because I was caught up in the moment! We all were! We were all fueled by anger and desperation towards saving our friends, but now that we've had time to cool off, so to speak..." He trailed off, but they all knew what he was implying. "Look, all I'm saying is that maybe we need more time to prepare."

"We don't have time to prepare," Blitz hissed out. "Our friends are currently trapped within their worst nightmares and if we don't stop Darkrai, they won't wake up! We don't have time to wait!"

"I hate to say it, but Blitz's right," DJ chimed in. "If we don't have any time to waste. We have to take down Darkrai and we need to do it now."

"Jackson does have a point though," Drake added. "We are ill prepared for this fight and against a legendary that could be fatal."

"So you guys want us to leave them trapped in their nightmares?!" Blitz asked angrily.

"Enough!" The four of them froze at the sound of Grace's shout. "We can't afford to argue amongst ourselves right now!" She stepped towards her teammates who had the decency to look ashamed. "Like Drake said, we're going up against a legendary Pokémon and we can't afford to have any tension between us!" Her expression softened a little.

"Look, I understand your worry, Jackson, but I have to agree with Blitz and DJ on this one. Let me finish," she added when she saw Jackson open his mouth to speak up. "I understand that it's a risk to go up against a legendary without proper items, but time is of the essence. If we don't act now, we might not get another chance like this."

Jackson lowered his gaze in submission and sighed heavily. "Alright," he relented. He then raised his head, his eyes now burning with the same fire that Grace had in her eyes. "If we're going to fight Darkrai, then I won't hold back."

Grace smiled gratefully at the Umbreon and turned her gaze to the rest of the group who all had looks of confidence and determination. "Well let's do this."

"Cool, since I learned about legendaries, I've always wanted to fight one," DJ said excitedly.

"But you just learned about legendaries tonight," Drake said.

"Shh," DJ shushed, a sly, and slightly cheeky, grin on his face.

"Alright, enough clowning around," Grace berated, though she could not hide the smile on her face. Her smile was then replaced by a look of deadly seriousness. "Let's do this."

-Legend-

The group slowly and calmly entered through the opening and entered a long corridor. Without any light to guide them, Team Stardust was forced to feel along the wall in order to discern where they were going. Thankfully, while the hallway did twist and turn, there were no branching hallways.

After a few minutes of walking, the group came to a very large chamber of sorts. The room was circular in shape and was about ninety feet by ninety feet. The ceiling about twenty feet up with razor sharp stalactites hanging ominously from the stone. The floor was almost completely smooth with the occasional dip in the stone. Several torches lit the room with a very dim light, creating multiple shadows throughout the chamber.

Team Stardust entered the room cautiously, their eyes roaming every inch of the room in search of their target, but they saw nothing.

"Where is he?" Blitz whispered anxiously. "Is he not here?"

"I don't know?" Grace whispered back. "There's really nowhere you can hide in here..."

"Au contraire," a low, dark and strangely cultured voice said seemingly from everywhere at once. "I find that this place has plenty of places to hide." The voice chuckled when the group all flinched and began to look around wildly.

"It has been a while since I've had guests," the voice continued, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Are you Darkrai?" Grace asked, still looking around for the source of the voice.

"Speaking," the voice confirmed.

"We've come to get you to reverse what you did to our friends!"

"What I did to your friends?" They could practically envision a fake pondering look he asked this. "I'm afraid that you'll have to be more specific. I have done a great many things to various people."

"You sick bastard," DJ growled in disgust.

"Now, now. It's not polite to say such things about your host, especially in his own home," he quipped almost challengingly.

DJ opened his mouth the retort, but was silenced by a sharp look from Grace. With a reluctant huff, DJ stood down, though he was still growling lowly.

"We're referring to the Pokémon you trapped within nightmares back at Frosalis Resort!" Grace clarified.

"Oh, _now_ I remember," the voice said. "Strange, I thought I got everyone."

"Well you didn't so reverse whatever you did or we'll kick your ass!" Blitz shouted.

"Kick my ass?" His voice seemed to have a condescending edge to it almost like he seemed to find Blitz to be something particularly unpleasant or beneath his notice. "How uncouth. Pokémon like you should have respect for their betters."

DJ noticed a flash of movement on his left, just behind where Blitz stood. Turning in that direction, he saw a black sphere form from the shadows and fly towards Blitz. He immediately pointed towards the spot and shouted a warning.

"Blitz! Look out!" DJ's shout proved futile as when Blitz looked towards where DJ was pointing, he was engulfed within the dark orb. The orb faded, and Blitz fell forward onto the cold unforgiving ground.

"Blitz!" the team shouted as they rushed to the downed Pikachu's side. They tried to rouse him, but he wouldn't wake, remaining trapped within the horrors of his nightmare.

"Hmph, he should have known not to go against those above him," Darkrai said apathetically.

"Show yourself, coward!" DJ shouted.

"Now why would I go and do that?" DJ could practically feel the taunting smirk on Darkrai's face.

"What, are you too scared to face us head on?" Jackson taunted in the hopes of getting a rise out of the legendary. "Are you so weak that you have to attack unsuspecting foes to beat them?"

"Your attempt to get under my skin are commendable, but futile," Darkrai said in amusement. "However, I suppose I could humor you. It has been a while since I've had the pleasure of facing someone in battle."

The group instantly tensed, circling up so that they were looking in every direction for Darkrai.

"There!" Drake shouted, pointing a claw towards the center of the room.

Looking towards the center they saw a single shadow in the center of the light created by the torches. The shadow seemed a lot darker than the other shadows, like it was made of black ink. The shadow swirled around in the center, becoming even darker than before, and a figure began to arise from the shadow.

The figure was predominantly black with a strange blood-red, jaw-like growth coming from its neck. Its body resembled a tattered cloak with two wispy protrusions coming from its shoulders. The figure had what appeared to be a dark gray fog coming from its head, resembling hair. It had very thin arms, each of which ended with three black, clawed fingers, and two stilt-like legs with no feet. The figure regarded them with a single red eyes, the other covered by its fog-like hair.

"Darkrai," Grace said, her expression hardening.

"That would be me." Darkrai chuckled darkly. "I would ask for your names, but I don't remember the names of weak trash such as yourselves."

"We're going to make you eat those words!" DJ said angrily.

"That will be the day," Darkrai said, causing DJ's hackles to raise at his mocking tone. "How about we make a deal?"

"Like we would make a deal with y-" DJ's rant was cut off by Grace speaking up.

"What kind of deal?" she asked, ignoring the incredulous look from DJ.

"I will release your friends from their nightmares _if_ you can entertain me in this fight." Though he did not have a mouth, the group could tell that he would be smiling from the mirth that shined within the dark legendary's lone eye.

"Oh, we'll do more than just entertain you," DJ growled, forming an aura sphere in his paws.

"DJ don't-!" Grace tried to halt her enraged teammate from attacking Darkrai, but she was too late to stop him from firing the glowing sphere at Darkrai.

As the attack shot towards Darkrai, he merely scoffed in disinterest. Just as the attack was about to make contact, Darkrai raised his left arm and batted the aura sphere away, causing it to explode against the wall on his left and shocking the remaining four members of Team Stardust.

"He batted it away like it was nothing," DJ said in awe and slight fear, his previous rage petering out slightly.

"That should have been super effective against a dark type like Darkrai," Jackson said, his expression full of shock.

"So this is the power of a legendary," Drake said, swallowing hard.

At the other end of the room, Darkrai was looking over the hand he used to bat away DJ's aura sphere and flexed it several times before sighing in disappointment.

"Is that truly the best you can do?" he asked, looking at DJ, who took an involuntary step back. "Such a shame. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up."

Darkrai then raised his hand, pointing it directly at DJ, and formed a shadow ball. Before any of the still shell shocked team could react, the attack left Darkrai's hand and raced towards DJ. The shadow ball exploded against DJ's chest and sent the surprised Riolu flying into the wall behind them with a crash. DJ slumped to the ground in pain.

"DJ!" Jackson shouted before glaring at Darkrai. "You'll pay for that!" He opened his mouth and fired a strong dark pulse at Darkrai.

"Oh please," Darkrai scoffed, holding up his hand and blocking the attack without budging from his spot.

"No way," Jackson said in shock. "He didn't even flinch..."

Drake and Grace stepped forward and fired a dragon pulse and fairy wind respectively at the legendary. The pink winds wrapped around the sphere of dragon type energy forming an outer layer of pink wind that glowed from the light of the dragon pulse. The attack cut through the air towards the motionless Darkrai and just as it was about to hit, Darkrai crossed his arms over his chest and his head seemed to sink into his body, only leaving a bit of dark gray visible.

The attack slammed into Darkrai, creating a large explosion that covered the entire room in smoke and dust that was kicked up by the shockwave, forcing the group to shield their eyes. When the shockwave finally stopped, the group looked towards the center of the room trying to find any sign of Darkrai. When the smoke and dust finally settled, they were horrified to see that Darkrai was still standing in the same spot with hardly a scratch.

Darkrai uncrossed his arms and raised his head, he eye full of disappointment. "Such a shame," he said as if he wasn't just hit by a powerful combination attack. "I truly expected more from you all. Oh well..."

Darkrai's two stilt-like legs began to withdraw into Darkrai's body, leaving the dark type floating in the air. He then rose up until he was about halfway to the ceiling.

"I guess I will end this quickly." As he said this, he raised both of his arms and launched a powerful dark pulse at the assembled Pokémon. The group quickly moved away as the attack slammed into the ground, spitting out rocks and debris from the point of impact.

Jackson recovered first and fired several shadow balls at the floating dark type. Darkrai looked at the attack in disinterest, allowing some of them to fly past him while batting away others.

Grace then shot towards him using iron head, but Darkrai floated a few more feat into the air, causing Grace to sail under him. He then turned and shot a shadow ball at Grace as she descended. The shadow ball exploded against the steel type energy that coated Grace's body, causing Grace to fall out of her attack and slam into the ground.

Darkrai raised his right hand to fire another shadow ball at Grace's downed form, but was forced to dodge and aerial ace from Drake. Drake turned around in the air and flew back at Darkrai, but the dark type dodged again.

As Drake circled around again in order to attack nightmare Pokémon, but was stopped by Darkrai firing an ice beam from his left hand. The light blue attack slammed into Drake, causing him to give a cry of pain as ice began to form along his body. Drake fell from the air and crashed to the ground next to Grace, the ice that covered his body shattering upon impact.

"Truly pathetic," Darkrai sneered, looking down at the two weakened Pokémon.

"The try this!" At the sound of Jackson's voice, Darkrai turned and was greeted by another barrage of shadow balls.

"Pointless!" Darkrai began to bat away the shadow balls as they head towards him, causing the dark purple spheres to explode against the walls of the cave. "Your attacks do little but annoy me. Your attempts are-!" He was cut off when he batted away yet another purple shadow ball and a blue aura sphere appeared behind it.

Darkrai's eye widened in surprise as the glowing sphere exploded against his torso, sending him flying into the shadow balls. While Darkrai was being buffeted by multiple shadow balls, both Grace and Drake made it to their feet. Seeing Darkrai indisposed they unleashed another fairy wind and dragon pulse combination.

As he defended against the practical storm of shadow balls, out of the corner of his eye, Darkrai saw an approaching light. Turning his head in the direction of the light his eye widened once more as the combination attack soared towards him.

With a loud _boom_ , the attack met its mark and exploded, creating a large cloud of smoke that shielded Darkrai from view. As the smoke began to fall and disperse, the quartet waited with bated breath to see the state that Darkrai was in. To their dismay, when the smoke cleared Darkrai could be seen with his arms crossed and his head ducked down again.

Darkrai's head popped up and glared at the four beneath him. "Now you four are becoming nuisances."

With that, Darkrai dove down at impressive speeds, stopping a foot off the ground, and shot toward the group. The group was taken by surprise at Darkrai's sudden change in tactics and were barely able to move out of the speeding Darkrai's way. While he did not hit the group, the winds that he stirred up did cause them to flinch.

Turning back around to face the group, Darkrai formed a shadow ball in his hands and threw it at the group. Noticing the approaching attack, DJ formed an aura sphere and fired it at the attack. The two attack collided in the air, pushing against the other, before the shadow ball shattered the aura sphere and continued on its path. The ghost type move slammed into the ground in between the group, trapping them within a cloud of smoke.

Temporarily blind, the group was unable to see the dark pulse heading straight towards them through the smoke. The attack cut through the middle of the group, clipping the four of them as his passed. Feeling the attack, the four of them instinctively leapt back to avoid any more damage and exited the smoke cloud.

As soon as Jackson exited the smoke cloud he was assaulted by a barrage of shadow balls. The Umbreon cried out in pain as the attacks made contact with his body.

"Not as fun being on the other end of it, is it?" Darkrai mocked from above Jackson before he fired a dark pulse at him. The attack made its mark and an explosion rocketed Jackson into the air.

Drake, having seen Darkrai assaulting Jackson with the shadow balls, launched himself at Darkrai and attempted to slash at him with twin slash attacks. Not even looking at the Gabite, Darkrai raised a single hand and fired a dark pulse in Drake's face, sending the dragon back to the ground.

Raising his other hand he formed a black ball, which they all recognized as the attack he used to put the rest of their team to sleep. With a sinister laugh, he threw it at the still airborne Jackson. Unable to act in time, Team Stardust could only watch helplessly as the dark void engulfed Jackson, sending him to the land of nightmares before he even hit the ground.

Enraged by this, DJ leapt at Darkrai's back and swung a spinning round house blaze kick towards the back of the legendary's head. However, like with Drake, Darkrai seemed to sense DJ's presence and ducked his head into his body, causing DJ's kick to swing harmlessly overhead. The next thing DJ knew he was sent flying into the wall by a powerful ice beam, which froze him to the wall.

Drake pushed himself back to his feet and fired another dragon pulse at Darkrai, this time hitting him in the back. With a grunt, Darkrai faltered in the air before regaining balance. He turned towards Drake and fired a quick ice beam at him.

Drake was unable to dodge and the attack slammed into him. He unleashed a roar of pain as a stabbing cold sensation once more tore through his body. Drake's legs began to shake as ice began to form on his chest and slowly began to cover his body. When Darkrai finally let up the attack, Drake was partially frozen.

Seeing her team in peril, Grace fired another fairy wind at Darkrai. Darkrai saw the attack coming and formed another dark pulse in his hands before shooting it at the shiny Mawile's attack. The dark pulse cut through the pink winds like they were nothing and continued down towards Grace.

The attack slammed into the ground in front of her and exploded, he ensuing shockwave sending Grace flying back. She landed on her back with a harsh _thud_ , her eyelids clenching together in pain. As she opened her eyes she saw Darkrai hovering over her.

"A truly pathetic attempt," he berated coldly. "Did you really expect to beat me with such pitiful skill?" Grace glared defiantly at Darkrai and said nothing, a sight that almost caused Darkrai to chuckle.

"It matters not. Now join your friends in eternal nightmare!" Darkrai said as he formed another dark void in his hand and fired.

Just as the attack was about to hit Grace, Drake, still partially frozen, leapt in the way and was engulfed by the attack.

"Drake!" Grace exclaimed in shock and horror, looking her downed teammate.

"Hmm, I'm honestly surprised he was able to move," Darkrai commented nonchalantly, not really caring that his attack had failed. "Though it doesn't matter. It was a pointless attempt to delay the inevitable."

He turned to Grace, who was kneeling by her unconscious friend, and raised his hand. "Don't fear. You'll join him in a moment."

Without an once of sympathy, Darkrai fired a dark void at Grace's back. The attack hit her back and she two became trapped within a nightmare.

"Such a waste of time," Darkrai sighed. "I had hoped for at least some entertainment from the battle."

A loud cracking sound drew Darkrai's attention to the wall behind him. He saw the ice that had trapped DJ against the wall was cracking before it exploded outwards, chunks of ice spraying across the room.

"Oh, I forgot about you," Darkrai said in nonchalant surprise.

This only further angered DJ. With a growl he dash forward, both of his paws taking on an orange hue. Reaching the him, DJ swung punch after punch at Darkrai in hopes of powering himself up with each hit. However, Darkrai merely shifted from side to side almost lazily to avoid DJ's attacks.

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that. However-" Darkrai suddenly lashed out and caught DJ's right arm by the wrist with his left hand. Before DJ could do anything in retaliation, Darkrai put his other hand in DJ's face and formed a shadow ball. "-you're too slow."

Darkrai released his grip on DJ's wrist just as he fired the attack directly into DJ's face.

"GAAAH!" DJ shouted in pain as the attack erupted in his face. The force of the attack sent him flying back until he slammed into the ground. His face was covered in scratches and burn marks and his eyes were shut from the pain.

DJ rolled to his side and attempted to push himself back to his feet, but before he could a cold three-fingered hand enclosed around his throat and lifted him into the air. Kicking his feet weakly and gripping the hand that held him, DJ struggled to open his eyes.

"Like the rest f your team, you are truly pathetic." Darkrai's cold voice cut through the darkness that DJ was trapped in, giving him the push to crack his eyes open.

"Why are you doing this?" DJ asked weakly, his blue eyes staring into Darkrai's lone red eye in weak defiance.

"Because I can," Darkrai answered. "The strong rule the weak. It has always been that way. I am merely exhibiting my strength over the weak."

As he continued to speak, Darkrai's voice steadily became darker and more evil than before. His lone red eye took on a slightly crazed glint to it as he looked up, seemingly at nothing.

"I will use my strength to bathe this world with my nightmares and aid this world's descent into eternal darkness!" He looked back to the Riolu in his grip and seemed to smile. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me. Now join your friends within the realm of nightmares!"

At this, DJ began to struggle harder within Darkrai's grip, but he could not break his hold. Darkrai raised his other arm dramatically over his head and formed a dark void. He gave DJ another mouthless smile and began to slowly move the sphere towards DJ.

Continuing to struggle, DJ could only watch as the sphere came closer and closer until it touched him. Then all DJ knew was darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Premonition of Darkness

Opening his eyes, DJ found himself standing outside Team Stardust's guild home. Wingull flew overhead, cawing loudly, the sun was shining brightly, and the sound of bustling Pokémon came from the town towards the east. It was all very peaceful. It was so... wrong.

"The hell?" He looked around in confusion. He had been fighting Darkrai a few seconds ago, but now he was here.

"DJ!" DJ jumped at the sound of Katara's voice. He spun around and saw her and the rest of Team Stardust standing in front of the guild house. Seeing his bewildered expression, the Frogadier giggled. "What's wrong? Meowth got your tongue?" she teased.

"K-Katara?!"

"No, I'm Guildmaster Gallade," she joked, rolling her eyes.

"B-But how?" DJ couldn't comprehend how the team was there. He had seen them fall to Darkrai, so how were they here?

"What do you mean?"

"I saw Darkrai put you all to sleep!"

"Huh?" Katara tilted her head to the side, a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?"

"It happened when we were at the resort! Darkrai attacked and put you, Blade, Bertha, Jet, and Asura to sleep. The rest of us went after Darkrai then..." DJ paused. What had happened afterwards?

"We got attacked by _Darkrai_?" Asura asked in disbelief.

"I think all the training's scrambled his brain," Blitz said, twirling a finger at his temple and pointing at DJ.

"I'm not making this up!" DJ shouted, frustrated that he couldn't recall what had happened after he and the rest of the team confronted Darkrai.

"DJ, look at the facts," Jackson said. "We're all perfectly fine and we've never been to a resort, though that would be a good idea for a vacation."

"Not a chance, Jackson," Asura said. "Going to one of those resorts is _way_ to expensive."

"Oh come on, Asura," Grace pleaded. "We've plenty of money in the team fund. Plus I'm sure that a little pampering would do us some good."

"The answer's no, Grace," Asura said with a tone of finality.

DJ watched as his Asura and Grace continued to argue over money and vacations, with the rest of the team tried to contain their laughter.

"So... it was all a dream?" Katara turned to the distraught Riolu, having heard his whispered words.

"Yeah, it was all a dream." DJ looked up and met Katara's reassuring gaze. "We're all alright, so no need to worry." She then extended a hand to DJ. "Come on, let's head inside."

DJ looked from Katara's hand to her smiling face. The rest of the team also extended their hands/paws/appendages towards him, inviting him to join them. A smile wormed its way on the young former human's face, all thoughts regarding Darkrai fading from his mind as he assured himself that what he was witnessing was real. He took step towards the guild house and his friends, wanting nothing more than to join them, then everything change.

It was like an explosion happened in a matter of moments. What was once a calm peaceful day turned dark and apocalyptic. The once blue sky was stained crimson with no sign of the sun or any clouds. Team Stardust's guild house, once proud and beautiful, stood in shambles, caved in upon itself as red hot flames licked at its sides.

"No..." DJ whispered to himself, his paws over his mouth in shock. Distantly, he could hear the screams of panicked Pokémon. Looking towards the town he saw that it too was in flames, thick plumes of black smoke rising into the blood red sky. "Wh-What happened...?"

"D...J." The Riolu spun around and was horror stricken at the sight of his team laying on the ground, none of them moving.

He released a chocked sob at the sight, falling to is knees, unable to understand what he was seeing. Things had been perfect a few seconds ago, what caused this? DJ snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a Katara's unmoving body. He crawled over to his first friend, tears spilling from his eyes as he took in her unmoving form.

 _Why?_ DJ cried. _Why did this happen? This has to be a nightmare! Darkrai must've put me in one! Yeah, that's it! I just need to wake myself!_ However, no matter how hard he tried, DJ could not pull himself out of this horrifying reality. _Why won't I wake up?! I don't want to be here anymore!_

"DJ..." DJ's eyes shot open at the sound of Katara's voice. Looking at her, he saw her eyes barely open, looking unseeingly at the sky.

"Katara!" Her head moved slowly towards the sound of his voice, yet it was like she couldn't see him.

"Wh-What...?"

"Don't talk, I'll get help!" He moved to get up and search for help, completely forgetting his revelation of everything around him being a nightmare, but Katara's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"Why? Why'd you do it?"

"What did you say?" he asked, thinking that he had misheard her.

"Why did you do this?" she repeated, her unseeing eyes seeming to look right through him.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do this!" His only response was Katara's hand raising a foot off the ground and pointing to something behind DJ. Turning back towards his burning home, his heart sunk at what he saw.

Facing the burning wreckage that was once Team Stardust's guild house, was a Riolu. Unlike normal Riolu, the one before him was black and gray instead of blue and black. The figure turned its head slightly, as if sensing DJ's gaze, before turning around to face him. Blue eyes met blood red as the two Riolu stared at one another. The red eyed Riolu then smiled sinisterly, sending chills down DJ's spine.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." DJ's heart stopped when he heard the Riolu's voice. It was a voice that he knew all to well. It was his.

"Th-That's not... That's not possible. You can't be me!" Dark DJ merely chuckled at the uncertainty in DJ's voice.

"You're right. I'm a better version of you."

"You can't be me!" DJ repeated in denial.

"Really? You don't sound too sure."

"You're not me!" DJ said with more conviction.

"That is true, but it could be you," an ominous voice said, causing DJ to jump and look around for the speaker.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" DJ demanded, earning an amused chuckle from the disembodied voice.

"Normally I wouldn't let my servants speak to me in such a manner, but I'll let this slide." DJ growled at the 'servant' remark.

"I'm no one's servant!" The disembodied voice just laughed.

"Oh, maybe not know, but you will be. After all-" To DJ's right the black smoke from the still burning guild house began to swirl rapidly, forming a dense sphere of smoke. The smoke then stretched out, forming a tall bipedal figure. "the darkness inside you is mine to control."

The figure, being made entirely out of smoke, had no distinguishing characteristics other than a long tail swished through the air aimlessly.

"Who the hell are you and what are you talking about?!" DJ demanded, taking an involuntary step back. "What darkness?"

"Who I am is of no concern at the moment. As for your second question, don't tell me you don't feel it within you," the smoky figure said with a tone that was similar to a parent explaining something to their child. "Shame really. You could be so much more if you embraced it."

"Why, so could become like him?" DJ asked sarcastically, gesturing to his still smirking doppelganger. "So I can hurt my friends?!" He gestured to his friends, but found that their bodies were no longer there. He turned back to the figure and glared angrily. "Where are they? What did you do to them?!"

"Are you sure they were ever their?" the figure asked in an amused tone. "After all, you were so sure that this was all a dream."

"Cut the Tauros shit! What'd you do to them?!"

"They are only holding you back, can't you see that?" The figure's voice sounded sentimental, like it truly cared for him. "They control you like a wild Growlithe on a leash, sending you out on missions to earn the approval of your peers. Hmph. You are treated like a pawn."

"And I wouldn't under you?" DJ asked sardonically. "You said it yourself, you want me as a servant!"

"Oh, but you'd have so much more freedom." The figure raised its smoky arms as if to imply the depth of his offer. "You'd be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want."

"As long as I pledge myself to you," DJ growled in disdain. "Sorry, but no deal."

The figure sighed in such a way that almost made DJ think that it cared about DJ. Almost.

"Such a waste," the figure sighed. "I guess I'll just have to give you a little nudge in the right direction."

The smoky figure raised waved his hands towards DJ, who tensed expecting an attack. What he didn't expect were the shadows from all around, rushing towards and peeling off the ground, becoming thick tendrils of darkness. The tendrils wrapped around DJ's arms and legs, holding him in place, and began to creep up his body.

"What is this?! What's happening?!" DJ struggled as much as he could, but he couldn't break the the tendril's hold.

"Don't be afraid, pup," the figure said amusedly. "It will all be over soon."

That only made DJ struggle harder than before, but he was still unable to break the shadow's grip. The tendrils, at this point, had encompassed the majority of his body, leaving only his head shadow free. The figure floated down next to the dark version of DJ and two red eye opened upon its smoky face.

"Soon you'll be just like him," it cooed, patting DJ's dark self on the back. "Or, should I say, you?"

"No! Stop this!" DJ shouted. "I won't succumb to the darkness! I won't!"

"Everyone does eventually." The figure's voice became slightly muffled as the shadows began to cover DJ's ears, leaving only his face out of the shadows.

"No! I won't! I won-" The shadows covered his face and all DJ knew was darkness.

-Legends-

"No... I won't..." DJ tossed in turn in fitful sleep upon the stone floor, trapped within a nightmare.

Darkrai looked down at DJ's pitiful form and laughed darkly. "Fool. As I said, trash like you has no place standing against me." He turned away from DJ's form. "Now you will be forever trapped within eternal nightmare."

He began to drift away from DJ's form, but stopped when he felt a sudden chill run down the back of his neck, a chill that many felt when someone was sneaking up on them. He turned back around, his lone red eye swiveling back and forth in search for whatever he sensed, but all he saw was the Riolu he had put to sleep.

"I must have imagined it," Darkrai muttered to himself. He made to turn again, but felt a pulse of dark energy come from DJ's unconscious form. "What...?"

Another pulse seemed to emanate from DJ, causing a slight distortion in the air around him. A dark miasma of evil and hatred seemed to emanate from DJ's form as a shadowy smoke began to waft from his body. The shadows began to dance around DJ's prone form, withering in the air as a few wispy tendrils reach out and grasp DJ's arms. The tendrils slowly lift DJ to his feet where he stands numbly, his arms hanging bonelessly and his head bowed. The shadows then began to wrap around his form, cocooning him in shadows.

Darkrai watched in slightly horrified awe as the shadows began to sink in and contort, shaping into a shadowy outline of a Riolu. Once the shadows took on DJ's shape, the black shadows began to give way, adding dark colors to the Riolu. DJ's once blue and black form was now a midnight black color with dark gray chest and face fur.

"What is this?" Darkrai asked to himself as he watched the transformation of the Riolu that he had just put to sleep.

The Riolu's ear twitched at the sound of Darkrai's voice. He then lifted his head slowly and opened his eyes. DJ's once blue eyes now glowed crimson as he stared almost curiously at the nightmare Pokémon. His face then split into a slightly deranged grin as his red eyes became alight with delight.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Darkrai started slightly at the malicious tone in the Riolu's voice. "A little puff of smoke that needs to be blown out."

This seemed to snap Darkrai of his shocked state. "Don't think that you can beat me with a simple-"

Darkrai was cut off by DJ suddenly disappearing in a burst of speed and a small fist burying itself in Darkrai's stomach. Darkrai released a gasp of pain as the air was forcibly removed from his lungs. He stumbled back, or at least what could be interpreted as a stumbling as he was floating in the air, clutching his stomach and staring at DJ in shock and anger.

"Why you little bra-!" He was once more cut off as a blaze kick, the flames of which were pitch black, made contact with the side of his head, the force of which sent flying into a wall.

"You should really stop talking when you're in a fight," DJ said in a false scolding voice.

"Insolent fool," Darkrai grumbled in anger, pulling himself from the wall. "You'll pay for that!"

"I seem to recall various Pokémon saying the same thing, right before I kicked their asses," DJ taunted.

With a angry growl, Darkrai brought up his hands and fired a dark pulse at the darkened Riolu. DJ merely smirked at the attack and raised his right paw. Reminiscent of how Darkrai had stopped Jackson's dark pulse, DJ blocks the attack.

Darkrai floated their wide-eyed with shock. "H-How...?"

"Surprised?" DJ asked. "Well you shouldn't be. How did you put it? 'Trash like you has no place standing against me.'"

Darkrai saw red at DJ's voice. With a guttural growl, Darkrai shot towards him, rage clear in his red eye. DJ smirked darkly at the approaching Pokémon and charged to meet him.

As Darkrai got close, he fired an ice beam at DJ. DJ, almost lazily, dodged the light blue beam and continued towards Darkrai. The dark Riolu then cocked back his fist, which glowed a dark orange color, and slammed it into Darkrai's face.

Darkrai reeled back in pain from the darkly colored power-up punch. He faltered in the air before glaring at the smirking Riolu. He then rose into the air and fired multiple shadow balls at DJ. As the spheres of shadowy energy flew towards him, DJ channeled his own shadowy energy around his paws, forming pitch black claws. Unlike a normal shadow claw, the energy around that, if possible, seemed darker than the normal shadows that clung to his hands when he used the attack. In a blur of black, DJ repeatedly swung his arms and slashed through the approaching shadow balls. As the last sphere was destroyed, DJ leapt into the air and slashed at the nightmare Pokémon.

Darkrai managed to drift to the side to avoid DJ's initial attack, but was caught off guard by a black blaze kick coming into contact with his side. Darkrai faltered in the air from the attack before firing a close range dark pulse at DJ's airborne form.

Being stuck in the air, DJ was unable to avoid the dark pulse and was sent into the ground, an explosion ensuing as he hit the ground. Darkrai looked towards the smoking crater, not expecting that his attack was strong enough to defeat the altered Riolu, but assuming that his attack did quite a bit of damage. He was, however, surprised to see DJ get to his feet practically undamaged.

"Is that the best you can do?" DJ mocked before disappearing once more.

Darkrai's eyes widened and he spun around in time to see another dark power-up punch flying towards him. Darkrai, managed to bring up his arms in an attempt to block, but was still sent flying to the ground from the force of DJ's attack. He slammed into the ground on his back, coughing as his spine slammed into the hard stone. He was then forced to roll out of the way to avoid a back fire encased foot slam into the ground where he once was.

Getting back into the air, Darkrai shot an ice beam at DJ's unprotected back. The ice began to creep over DJ's form, before shattered from DJ's body. DJ turned towards the stunned nightmare Pokémon and grinned evilly.

"Now, now. No need for the cold shoulder." Before Darkrai could respond, DJ brought up his paws and began forming an aura sphere in between his paws. Instead of the bright blue energy that made up his aura sphere, a dark purple energy began to form into a sphere. A sinister feeling seemed to emanate from the sphere as it began to grow to the size of a baseball. With his sinister grin stretching further across his face, before he fired it at Darkrai.

The purple sphere slammed into Darkrai and, instead of exploding upon contact, he was dragged through the air by the force of the sphere and slammed into the wall where the dark aura sphere exploded. Smoke and rubble flew in every direction as the sphere exploded. When the smoke began to dissipate, Darkrai could be seen floating half-haphazardly about a foot away from the wall, his body covered in scratches, several of which were bleeding.

"Hmph. I expected more from a legendary," DJ sneered, his red eyes boring into Darkrai's lone eye.

Darkrai's red eye shone with unfiltered hate and rage, the taunting words of the Riolu before him roaring within his head.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Darkrai roared in rage. "I WILL NOT BE MOCKED BY TRASH LIKE YOU!" With that, he formed a familiar black sphere within his hand. Holding it out towards DJ, a deranged look in his eye, he shouted, "ENJOY OBLIVION!"

Darkrai fired the dark void at DJ, who made no move to dodge the attack. The sphere met its mark and the dark sphere encased him. The sphere faded and DJ's eyes became half-lidded. He began to fall forward before his eyes snapped open and he steadied himself.

"How?!" Darkrai demanded in partial shock and anger. "No common Pokémon can resist such an attack!"

"Well, as you can see, I'm not your average Pokémon," DJ smirked. He then charged forward and planted another power-up punch into the legendary's gut.

Darkrai's eye widened in pain before he glared down at the Riolu and blasted him in the face with a shadow ball. DJ reared back in pain, but his grin remained in place. He wiped his mouth and grinned savagely at the slightly disturbed legendary.

"That power," Darkrai muttered aloud, his eye widening in recognition. "You possess the power of darkness as well."

"That's right," DJ said. "And it feels amazing."

In a flash of dark purple, DJ fired another aura sphere at Darkrai, much larger than his previous one. Darkrai could only manage a shrill cry as the purple sphere barreled towards him. The last thing he saw, was a bright purple light filling his vision.

-Legend-

"...Ngh." Blitz groaned as he surfaced into consciousness. His entire body ached as he pushed himself to his feet. "What happened."

Blitz closed his eyes as he tried to focus on what had happened before he lost consciousness. His eys suddenly shot open in realization.

"Darkrai! We were fighting Darkrai!" Blitz swung his head around in search of Darkrai, but instead saw Grace, Jackson, and Drake's unconscious forms. "Guys!"

Blitz rushed over to his teammates and began to shake them.

"Come on guys, wake up!" Blitz shook them repeatedly, hoping to rouse his teammates from their slumber. To his relief, the three stirred and began to regain consciousness.

"Ugh, what happened?" Jackson moaned as he shakily got to his feet.

"Oh, thank Arceus," Blitz sighed in relief.

"Blitz? What happened?" Grace asked.

"I'm not sure," Blitz confessed. "All I remember is entering this cave then falling then..." Blitz shivered slightly. "The most horrible dream. I think it was the same thing that Darkrai did to everyone at the resort."

"That's right. I remember now!" Jackson said. "You were put to sleep and we started fighting Darkrai, but I think he got me too."

"He did," Drake said, chipping some left over ice off of him. "He got me as well."

"And me," Grace added depressedly. "We were all trapped in nightmares."

"But if that's the case, how are we awake now and where's Darkrai?" Jackson asked.

"And where's DJ?" Blitz added, noticing that they were one team member short.

"Over there," Drake said, pointing a claw towards the far side of the room. Following where Drake's claw was pointing, they saw a familiar blue and black furred Pokémon laying face down on the ground.

"DJ!" The four members of Team Stardust rushed towards their downed friend. Once they reached his side, the flipped him over and saw that, despite being unconscious, he barely had any injuries.

"It doesn't look like he's in a nightmare," Drake commented.

"What happened to him?" Jackson asked.

Drake surveyed the ground around them, taking note of the various craters and rubble upon the ground. The way that they were laid out, the destruction made a path along the ground. Following the path to the opposite wall, Drake's eyes widened when he saw what was embedded in the wall.

"I think I know what happened." The trio turned to Drake in confusion. Curious, they followed his gaze and gasped at the sight of an unconscious Darkrai embedded several inches into the wall.

"Th-That's... That's..." Blitz stuttered, unable to complete his thought.

"Darkrai," Jackson finished.

"How's that possible?" Grace asked. "Did... Did DJ _beat_ him?"

"It would appear so," Drake commented. "Though only he can tell us what happened."

"Speaking of which." Blitz pointed to a slowly awakening Riolu.

"Ugh, my head..." DJ groaned while sitting up. "What happened?"

"You tell us," Drake said.

"Guys!" DJ cried in relief when he saw his teammates conscious. "You're okay!"

"Yeah, we woke up a little while ago," Blitz said.

"But how? Shouldn't we still be trapped within Darkrai's nightmare?" The quartet exchanged glances before turning back to DJ. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?" DJ asked in nervous confusion.

"Don't you remember?" Blitz asked.

"Remember what?"

The group looked at each other again before Grace spoke up. " _You_ beat Darkrai."

"I-I did?!" DJ asked in bewilderment. The group then moved to the side, allowing DJ a clear view of Darkrai's unconscious form. "B-But I don't-"

"Ugh," The small group immediately spun toward the sound and saw Darkrai beginning to stir. The nightmare Pokémon fell from the wall and caught himself with his hands before he fell to the floor.

"GAAAAH!" he screeched out, his cry filled with pain as if some unseen force was driving a knife into his chest. A thick black smoke like substance began to exude from his form and dissipate into the air. As the last of the smoke left Darkrai's body, his smokey hair changed from dark gray to snow white and his collar seemed to become a shade lighter than before. When he opened his eye it was a crystal blue color instead of the ruby red eye that they had seen before.

"What happened to me?" he asked, his voice seemed light than what it was before. He then took note of the five Pokémon before him. "Who are you?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Jackson asked suspiciously.

"Remember what?" Darkrai tilted his head in confusion, his eye filled with genuine ignorance.

"How you attacked Frosalis Resort and trapped everyone in nightmares," DJ practically growled, not believing that Darkrai truly didn't remember what he did.

"What?!" Darkrai shouted, his now blue eye widened in disbelief. "I would do no such thing!"

"But you did, that's why we're here; to get you to release them from their nightmares," Drake said.

"Allow me to be more specific. I _cannot_ do that," Darkrai said. "Yes I can put others to sleep and yes my presence causes those that sleep around me to suffer from nightmares, but as soon as I leave, so do the nightmares. Not only that, but a Pokémon is not trapped within that nightmare. They can wake up on their own or if someone else wakes them."

"Huh? But that's not what happened at the resort," Blitz cried. "We tried everything to wake them up, but nothing worked!"

"Then again, you were able to wake us up not even five minutes ago," Drake pointed out.

"That's true," Grace commented. "Maybe it had something to do with that smoke stuff that came out of him..."

"Um, excuse me, but what smoke stuff are you talking about?" Darkrai asked.

"When we beat you, what looked like dark smoke escaped left your body," Jackson explained.

"Dark smoke..." Darkrai mumbled, deep in thought. "I don't recall that, but if that was causing Pokémon to be trapped within nightmares, now that it's gone everyone should awaken."

"Only one way to find out," Grace said, moving towards the exit.

"But what about _him_?" Blitz asked in a failed attempt at a whisper, pointing at Darkrai. "Are we just going to let him go."

"If what he's saying is true, than Darkrai is not at fault for the actions he took," Grace said. "What we need to do now is to check on the rest of our team, as well as the other patrons that were put to sleep, and see if they are alright."

"But what if he's lying and he tries to escape?" Blitz argued.

"Um, I honestly have no intention of going anywhere," Darkrai piped in. "If you do need me, I'll be here. I won't go anywhere."

"Well there you have it," Grace said triumphantly.

"And if _that's_ a lie?"

"I swear to you, on my honor as a legendary, that I am not lying and that I will not purposely trap Pokémon in nightmares," Darkrai promised.

"To a legend, swearing upon one's honor as a legend is sacred. He will not break his promise," Drake said.

"How do you know that?" Blitz demanded.

"I read, unlike you," Drake said with a smirk.

"You..." Blitz's cheeks puffed out in indigence at Drake's barb. With a huff he turns away from the group. "Fine, let's head back."

"Wait!" The group paused at Darkrai's cry. "Might I have your names?"

"We're Team Stardust," Grace answers, facing the nightmare Pokémon.

"Well, Team Stardust, I must thank you for freeing me from whatever has plagued me." Darkrai takes a small bow. "I am forever in your dept. Should you ever require assistance, I will be at your beck and call."

"There's no need for that," Grace said, blushing slightly. "Helping Pokémon is what we do."

"You truly are noble warriors. My offer will stand, should you ever require my assistance."

Grace bows her head in thanks and leads her team back out of the cave in direction of the jungle, leaving the nightmare Pokémon to attempt to recall where the dark smoke came from.

-Legends-

 **Frosalis Resort**

After returning to their boat, and explaining their ordeals to a surprised and thankful Roshi, the group sped across the ocean towards the resort. Upon their arrival they were greeted by the sight of the rest of their team, awake and healthy.

"YOU'RE OKAY!" Blitz cried out in joy as he leapt out of the boat and ran towards the group. To everyone's surprise, he tackled Bertha in a hug that sent her onto her back.

"Blitz, what the heck?!" Bertha questioned angrily, but stopped when she felt something cold and wet fall onto her skull covered face. "Blitz, what...?"

"I'm sorry." Bertha's eyes widened at Blitz's words. "I'm so sorry."

"What do you mean?"

"I was so stupid," he cried. "I fought with you because of a stupid berry. Then you got put in a nightmare and I thought that I'd never see you again..."

The rest of Blitz's words were unintelligible as Blitz had broken down in tears. Surprised by Blitz's sudden outburst of emotion, Bertha could only pat his back awkwardly in an attempt to console the electric mouse.

"Hey, it's okay," she said softly. "I'm alright now. Besides, we fight all the time."

"But we always make up," he chocked out. "This time, I thought we'd never get the chance to make up and you'd be stuck in your nightmare hating me."

"Aw, Blitz. I could never hate you." Blitz's tear filled eyes widened at this.

"Really?" Bertha chuckled.

"Of course not. You're my best friend and I could never hate my best friend. Sure we fight all the time, but it's all for fun."

Blitz sniffed as he wiped his eyes, allowing a small smile to grace his face. "Thank you."

"No problem. Just remember, I'm always there for you." The two smiled at each other, oblivious to everything around them.

"Ahem." Both Blitz and Bertha froze at the sound of a throat being cleared. The slowly turned back to their group and were greeted by the amused stares of their friends. The both quickly jumped away from each other, both with blushes on their faces.

"Oh, don't let us stop you," Jet teased, causing the duo to become even redder than they already were.

"While I would like to embarrass Bertha and Blitz as much as the next guy, what the heck happened after we were put to sleep?" Katara asked.

"Well, as it turns out, you were put to sleep by Darkrai and we went after him to reverse it," Grace explained.

"What?! You guys went up against _Darkrai_?!" Blade squawked. He instantly rushed over to his brother and began checking him for injuries, which he had a lot of.

"Yep," Jackson said as if it wasn't a big deal.

"B-But how?!" Blade demanded. "He's a legendary. How the hell did you beat him."

"Unfortunately, that's not important at the moment," Grace said grimly. She then preceded to tell everyone about what had happened upon Darkrai's defeat.

"So you're saying that some kind of black smoke came from Darkrai, causing him to change color?" Katara questioned.

"And that when he regained consciousness, he had no recollection of what he did?" Asura added.

"That is correct," Drake said with a nod.

"That cannot be good," Leaf commented dryly.

"No, it can't," Asura said with a frown. "If that smoke could effect a legendary like that, there's no telling what it could do to an ordinary Pokémon."

"Great, first we have to deal with a deranged Lucario now we have to worry about evil black smoke," Katara bemoaned.

"We'll have to let my father know as soon as possible," Asura reasoned.

"I might be able to help with that," Roshi, who had been quiet up to this point, spoke up. "The resort does have means of contacting far away places in times of emergency."

"Well, I'm sure this counts as an emergency," DJ said grimly, earning a nod from the stag beetle Pokémon.

"Then I'll set it up right away."

"That would be very much appreciated, thank you," Asura said with a grateful nod.

Roshi began to walk towards the resort, most likely to arrange a means of communication with the Gallade Guild. The rest of Team Stardust made to follow, but a hand on his wrist stopped Asura's movements. Turning he was caught off guard by Grace suddenly hugging him around the middle.

"Grace? What...?"

"I'm just happy that you're okay," Grace mumbled, not meeting Asura's eyes.

"I'm glad your okay, too," Asura said, returning the hug. "When I woke up and I heard that you went off chasing some Pokémon, I was worried."

"Well I'll tell you, leading isn't as easy as I thought," she says with a light chuckle. "I honestly don't know how you do it."

Asura laughed at that. "I know, there are times that I wish I could pass it off to someone else."

"Who would you pass it down to?" Grace asked curiously.

"I'm honestly not sure," Drake admitted. "I would say Drake or Blade, but Drake doesn't communicate well and Blade can be..."

"Obsessive?" Grace supplied.

"Yeah," Asura chuckled. "Jackson's also a good choice, but he doesn't has as much experience as son of the other members."

"What about Jet?" Both Grace and Asura looked at one another before bursting out in laughter. "Yeah, no offense to him, but I'm pretty sure the team would fall apart. Anyone else?"

"I would say Leaf, but he follows DJ like a lost Lillipup. Speaking of whom, while he has been successful in leading a smaller group, he has the same problem as Jackson. What's wrong?" Asura asked when he noticed Grace tense.

"I'm fine, I just remembered something. When we woke up from fighting Darkrai, we saw DJ laying a few feet away from Darkrai, who was unconscious. There were signs of battle all around them." Asura frowned.

"So DJ beat Darkrai by himself?" he asked. "Did he use his shining aura?"

"See, that's it. When we asked him what happened, he didn't remember."

"He doesn't remember?" Asura repeated, his frown deepening. "How is that possible. He had memories of fighting Luke when he used his shining aura. Heck, he had memories of his actions when he used his primal aura."

"I know, that's what worries me. Remember how you were scared of what that stuff could do to an ordinary Pokémon?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Asura's eyes widened in understanding. "You think that DJ could be affected?"

"I'm not sure, but it can't be a coincidence. Darkrai had no memories of his actions and neither did DJ. If DJ was affected, then it would all make since."

"That's still a pretty big if. There's no way to be sure if DJ's affected or not. We'll just have to wait and see if something like this happens again."

"Yeah..."

"Hey, cheer up. You saved all of us from being stuck in nightmares, this is a time to be happy." Asura smiled reassuringly at his friend. "We'll keep an eye on him, but for now, let's spend the rest of our vacation, which you forced upon us-" Asura glared playfully at Grace, who just giggled. "relaxing by the beach."

"I'd like that," Grace said with a small smile.

Asura smiled and offered an arm to Grace. Returning the smile, she looped her arm through his and the two of the made their way towards the resort, unaware of the horrors that would soon come to pass.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Undercover

DJ ducked under another fire punch from the Monferno and retaliated with a power-up punch to his gut. The Monferno folded over in pain and was met with a blaze kick to the side of his head. The playful Pokémon crashed to the ground and struggled to get back up, the crowd cheering in the background. DJ took this time to catch his breath as he warily watched the Monferno get back to his feet. He couldn't help but think back to how he got into his situation in the first place.

 **Flashback**

Team Stardust stood in front of Tobias about two days after returning from Frosalis Resort. They had already informed him of the incident with Darkrai and he had told them that he would look into what happened. He had called them into his office early in the morning, before they could go out on any missions.

"Good, you're all here," Tobias said from behind his desk.

"Why'd you call us, sir?" Asura questioned. "Did you find out something about what happened to Darkrai?"

Tobias sighed in exasperation. "I keep telling you to call me 'Dad', Asura." Seeing Asura's deadpan stare, Tobias gave a short indigent huff. "Anyway, no. That's not why I called you here today."

"Then why?" Blitz asked, receiving a smack upside his head from Bertha.

"Hush and he'll tell you!" she snapped earning a scowl from Blitz.

"Thank you, Bertha. Getting back to the matter at hand. I've called you all in here to promote Team Stardust to diamond rank!" The team was silent for a second, simply processing what they had just heard. When it finally set in, they immediately erupted into cheers and shouts of glee. Tobias chuckled at the team's antics. "Yes, yes. Congratulations are in order all around," he said. "And with your ascension to diamond rank come s a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Katara asked, the team's jubilation winding down.

Tobias smiled. "I'm glad you asked. "He then opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a folder. He then handed the folder to Asura who flipped through it, his team staring -or at least trying to- over his shoulder. "That file is on a Fenrir, a crime lord from Daycinn."

"He's a Lucario!" DJ said in surprise, looking at the picture in the folder. True to his words, it was a Lucario with a long thin scar running down his left eye.

"Yes, he is," Tobias said grimly. "Unlike most Lucario, Fenrir did not choose the noble and benevolent path that most Lucario take up upon evolving. He instead became arrogant and prideful, wishing to use his powers to subjugate others. Because of this he created The Fighting Syndicate."

"I've heard of that before!" Jet exclaimed.

"You have?" Asura asked in surprise.

"Yeah it was when I was still under Scourge's control." Jet gained a forlorn expression as he remembered his time as Scourge's puppet. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Asura smiling reassuringly at him. Jet returned the smile and took a calming breath. "When I was with... him, I remember him mentioning trying to recruit them for Luke's forces.

"From what I can recall, they're a group of fighting types who've been involved in a series of thefts and kidnappings," he continued. "They're suspected of committing multiple thefts and kidnappings, but they can never link it back to them."

"Unfortunately, that's true," Tobias spoke up, gaining back everyone's attention. "Fenrir is good at leaving no traces. When one of his members is convicted he covers his tracks and keeps all blame off oh himself and the rest of them."

"So what do you want us to do?" Jackson asked.

"We need solid evidence to put him away, that's where you come in, or more specifically, DJ."

"Say what now?" DJ questioned, thinking he had misheard.

Tobias chose not respond in favor of rummaging through his desk once more. He then pulled out a flyer and held it out to the team.

"'Annual fighting type tournament,'" Katara read. "'The Fighting Syndicate would like to cordially invite all fighting types to a three day tournament sponsored by Fenrir and the Fighting Syndicate. The winner of the tournament will receive a five thousand poké prize and a chance to join the Fighting Syndicate.'"

"That is where you come in, DJ," Tobias said. "I want you to enter the tournament, win, and join the Fighting Syndicate in order to gain information that links Fenrir and his syndicate to the crimes."

"B-But..." DJ stuttered, not believing what he was hearing. "Why me?!"

"Because; one: you are a fighting type and two; you will arouse the least amount of suspicion."

"What about Asura?" DJ asked.

"He would be recognized from the paper," Tobias responded.

"So would I, though!" DJ said, gesturing to his eyes. "I'm the only blue-eyed Riolu in existence!"

"Exactly my point." DJ raised a non-existent eyebrow as Tobias once more reached into his desk, this time bringing out a small plastic case. Opening it, DJ could see two small lenses resting in it. "Who would ever guess that a normal red-eyed Riolu would be our own resident former human?" he said with a smug smirk. "Now all you need is a cover name..."

 **Flashback End**

DJ broke out of his musings just in time to dodge another fire punch. He grabbed the Monferno's outstretched arm and flipped the Monferno over his shoulder, sending the Monferno crashing to the ground on his back. Before DJ could follow up the attack, the Monferno blasted him with a close range flamethrower, forcing DJ to leap back to avoid sustaining more damage.

The Monferno quickly got to his feet and used mach punch, allowing him to clear the distance between him and the disguised Riolu in less than a second. The glowing fist impacted against DJ's face, forcing his body to turn. However, instead of falling he continued with the movement, turning it into a spin and kicked the Monferno in the chest with a blaze kick. While it did not do much damage, the force behind the attack caused the Monferno to fold into himself. Finishing he assault, DJ swung his leg into the air and brought it down in a vicious ax kick, sending the Monferno face first into the ground where he didn't get back up.

"AND THE WINNER OF THE MATCH IS... ORAN!" the announcer, a Loudred, shouted over the cheers and shouts of the crowd.

DJ sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He tried to ignore the itchiness caused by the contacts in his eyes as he walked out of the stadium and towards the rooms designated for competitors. He collapsed upon the provided bed and contemplated things.

Entering the tournament had been simple enough. With the contacts, he arose no suspicion and was admitted into the tournament -after he paid a six hundred poké fee, something DJ was still annoyed about. He had already participated in three other fights that day and he was exhausted, especially because he was not able to use aura sphere, lest he blow his cover -since he was the only Riolu that could use aura sphere. Because of this handicap, battle were tougher as he had no long range attacks.

He suddenly bolted upright, remembering that he had to contact his team. Cursing under his breath he pulled out his badge -now with a blue gem in the center- and activated the radio function. He remembered how when he first used the radio function. He recalled a similar device that humans used, but he recalled that they used electricity to function. When he questioned how they worked he was told that a series of Dedenne -one per team- connected each team's devices, allowing them to communicate with others. He shook his head and focused back on the task at hand.

"Hello, anyone there?" he spoke softly into the device in case someone was listening in.

" _Hello? DJ? Is that you?_ " a voice who he recognized as Katara answered.

"Yeah, it's me. How's everything going?"

" _Everything's good on our end,_ " she responded. " _We've been watching in the stands for your fights. Since there's a bunch of Pokémon in the stands, we won't stand out. Good job on the fights, by the way._ "

"Thanks. I never realized how much I used aura sphere. Fighting with out it is hard," he whined.

Katara giggled at DJ's plight. " _Don't worry, just stay on guard even when you're not fighting._ "

"You don't have to tell me twice," DJ commented. "Anyway, I'm going to get some rest before tomorrow. Talk to you later."

" _Talk to you later and good luck tomorrow. We'll be watching and cheering you on._ "

"Thanks. I'll need all the luck I can get." DJ said, placing his badge back under the pillow and collapsing back onto the bed. _Two more days of this,_ he thought to himself. _I'm starting to regret accepting this mission._

-Legend-

The next day passed mostly uneventfully. DJ defeated his opponents with ease and moved up to the semi-finals which would begin later that night, with the finals the next day. DJ stood in the tunnel leading to the stadium, waiting for his name to be called someone bumped harshly.

"Hey!" DJ exclaimed indigently. He looked at who had bumped him and saw that it was a bipedal Pokémon that looked as if they were wearing a mask with a cape made of red feathers trailing down his back. DJ recognized the offending Pokémon as a Hawlucha, the only flying-fighting type. Said Pokémon merely gave DJ a look of disdain.

"What do _you_ want?" he sneered.

"You just ran into me," DJ said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have been in my way," the Hawlucha responded, turning away from DJ and continuing down the tunnel, towards the rooms.

"Well maybe you should watch where you're going instead of acting like an asshole," DJ bit back.

The Hawlucha stopped and turned to face DJ, sneering condescendingly. "You got something to say, pup?"

"I think I've already said my bit.," DJ growled, not liking the feel of the Hawlucha's aura. The Hawlucha lifted his head into the air, looking down at DJ over his beak.

"I don't like your tone," he sneered.

"Well that makes two of us," DJ shot back.

"Do you know who I am?"

"No, and don't bother telling me," DJ said when he saw the Hawlucha open his mouth to say something. "I make it a priority to not learn the names of assholes.

They glared at each other for a what seemed like hours until the Hawlucha smirked. "You've got guts kid-"

"You're like a couple years older than me!"

"-but you're not worth the time or the effort." The Hawlucha turned back around and began to walk away. "You should just quit the tournament now and save yourself the humiliation of defeat."

"Be careful when you look down at someone, for they might be the one to knock you from your throne," DJ said sagely.

The Hawlucha stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Hmph. If you believe that then beat me in the finals and prove it."

Before DJ could retort the announcer's voice suddenly echoed through the stadium. "WILL ORAN AND ARES PLEASE COME TO THE STADIUM FOR THEIR BATTLE?"

"I gave the Hawlucha a final look before walking down the tunnel and entering the stadium. The shouts and screams were almost deafening, but I tuned them out in favor of sizing up my opponent. Like all Primape he had a permanent look of anger on his face. The Primape glared at me, though under all of his anger he could feel determination under it all.

From what DJ knew, Primape were physically one of the strongest fighting types. However, despite this strength, they tended to rush into fights and took unnecessary risks due to their unbridled rage. In order to win, DJ would have to exploit that.

"THE SEMI-FINALS MATCH BETWEEN ORAN AND ARES WILL NOW COMENCE!"

As soon those words were uttered, DJ immediately jumped to the side to avoid a thunder punch. DJ quickly lashed out with a power-up punch which Ares managed to deflect. He then lashed out with his foot, attempting a low sweep, forcing DJ to jump. This proved to be a trap as Ares then punched the airborne Riolu in the gut with a thunder punch.

DJ gasped in pain as he was thrown back, hitting the ground before rolling into a crouch. He began to raise his arm in preparation for an aura sphere before he remembered that he wasn't allowed to use it. Cursing himself for his lack of insight, DJ got to his feet and ran at Ares, feinting with a power-up punch. As he expected, Ares moved to the side to avoid DJ's punch, but was caught off guard by a blaze kick. Before Ares could recover, DJ slashed at him with a shadow claw and and hit him with a power up punch with his offhand.

Ares screeched in pain from the three consecutive hits before regaining his balance and glaring hatefully at DJ. He then flexed, steam beginning to curl of his body as his arms and legs seemed to double in size.

 _Great, he knows bulk up,_ DJ groaned internally, wishing that he could use aura sphere.

Ares gave a rage filled screech before leaping at DJ, his arms held above his head in a cross shape. His hands took on a white sheen before swinging them at DJ. DJ leapt back, causing the the attack to hit the ground, leaving an X shaped gouge in the stone.

 _Note to self, don't get him by that,_ DJ thought, a sweat-drop rolling down the side of his face.

Enraged that his attack had missed, the pig monkey Pokémon wildly lashed out at DJ with thunder punch. DJ evaded the attacks, further enraging the Primape and causing his attacks to become sloppier. This was exactly what DJ was waiting for. As soon as he saw an opening, DJ struck Ares with a swift power-up punch before thrust kicking him with a blaze kick.

Thanks to the bulk up, while the attacks did damage, it was less than what it would have been. Ares got to his feet and glared harshly before using bulk up again. He then preceded to follow the same tactics as before -wildly throwing thunder punch after thunder punch at DJ.

DJ practically danced around the attacks with graceful ease, occasionally attacking with a power-up punch or a shadow claw when the opportunity presented itself. The further angered the already enraged fighting type, causing him to repeatedly use bulk up to the point where he was almost five times his original size and muscle mass and while this made DJ's attacks do little to nothing to the Primape, it made him a lot slower. On top of that, because it took a good chunk o energy to sustain the effects of bulk up, Ares was slowly tiring.

After only a minute of his wild assault, Ares was already panting and sweating profusely. With a tired shriek, he raised his arms for a cross chops attack. Seeing this, DJ ducked under the attack and delivered a brutal uppercut to the Primape's face, which -due to the continued use of power-up punch- was strong enough to send Ares flying through the air. DJ jumped after the flying Primape, soaring above him, and delivered a vicious blaze kick to the back of Ares' head, sending him crashing back to the ground.

DJ landed lightly behind the downed Primape and turned to face him. Ares was attempting to push himself to his feet, grunting and groaning as he struggled to even get into a kneeling position. All of a sudden his body seemed to deflate to its original state indicating that his bulk up had worn off. With a final groan, Ares fell back to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness.

"THE WINNER OF THIS SEMI-FINALS MATCH, AND OUR SECOND FINALIST... ORAN!" the Loudred screamed, earning cheers from the crowd.

DJ sighed in relief, thankful that this was all almost over. The fur on the back if DJ's neck suddenly stood on end as he felt eyes boring into the back of his skull. Turning he saw that the Hawlucha from earlier staring at him, a condescending smirk on his face. DJ glared at him, now having another reason to win the tournament: to wipe that smug smirk off that Hawlucha's face.

-Legend-

" _Good job on getting to the finals,_ DJ," Asura said through DJ's badge. " _You handled he fight superbly._ "

"Thanks," DJ commented, lying down on his bed. "His bulk up through me for a loop at first."

" _Well you did a good job handling-_ " He paused and DJ could hear voices in the background. "The team also wants to congratulate you on your win."

"Tell them I said thanks."

" _I'm not a messenger Pidove,_ " Asura responded dryly with a hint of amusement in his voice. " _Getting back on topic, you'll need to be on your guard tomorrow._ "

"Yeah, I know. I'll be hard pressed to fight that Hawlucha, especially with the type advantage."

" _It's not just that. That Hawlucha has gone through the entire competition without sustaining any damage._ "

"Seriously?!" DJ exclaimed, shooting up into a sitting position.

" _Shhhh!_ "

"Right, sorry," DJ whispered, blushing slightly. "But you can't be serious. He went through the entire tournament without being hit once?"

" _I'm completely serious,_ " Asura responded solemnly. " _While his species cannot fly like other flying types, he can glide and he is very agile. He dances around his opponents and hits them from every angle._ "

"That could be a problem," DJ groaned.

" _Not only that, but even if you win, which you'll have to in order to complete the mission, you still have to worry about joining The Fighting Syndicate and linking them to all of those crimes,"_ Asura continued.

"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine," DJ drawled sarcastically.

DJ heard Asura chuckle lightly at the other end. " _You'll do fine. You just have to keep your wits about you and be vigilant._ "

"Noted."

" _Get some rest, DJ_ ," Asura said, almost fondly. " _You'll need it if you want to win, and we expect you to do just that."_

"Yeah, yeah," DJ said listlessly, though on the inside he felt encouraged by Asura's words. "I'll talk to you later."

" _Make sure you contact us once the fights over._ "

"Got it. Talk to you then." DJ set his badge down and laid on his back, gazing unseeingly up at the ceiling. _Something tells me that tomorrow's going to suck._

-Legend-

"NOW LADIES AND GENTLEMON, THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: THE FINAL BATTLE OF THE ANNUAL FIGHTING SYNDICATE TOURNAMENT!" the Loudred roared over the crowd. The Loudred waited a few seconds for the crowd's shouts to die down before he continued."BOTH COMPETITORS HAVE DISPLAYED BOTH INGENUITY AND STRENGTH THESE PAST THREE DAYS AND IT HAS ALL COME DOWN TO THIS FINAL BATTLE!" He then gestured to DJ and the Hawlucha. "ORAN, THE RIOLU WHO HAS ONLY USED THREE MOVES IN ALL OF HIS BATTLES AND AQUILA, THE HAWLUCHA WHO HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED THROUGH THIS ENTIRE TOURNAMENT!"

 _Aquila,_ DJ thought as he looked at his opponent who was smirking confidently at him. _So that's his name..._

"BOTH COMPETITORS HAVE A LOT RIDING ON THIS FIGHT. THE CASH PRIZE OF FIVE THOUSAND POKÉ AND A CHANCE TO JOIN THE FIGHTING SYNDICATE ITSELF!" Again, more cheers from the crowd. "SPEAKING OF WHICH, THE ESTEEMED LEADER OF THE FIGHTING SYNDICATE HIMSELF IS HERE TO OBSERVE THE FIGHT!"

 _Huh?!_ DJ's head snapped towards the announcer box and saw a scarred Lucario sitting next to the Loudred, his red eyes trained on him. DJ gave an involuntary shudder before forcing his gaze away from the Lucario and to his opponent.

"NOW, LET'S GET THIS BATTLE STARTED!" The stadium was then filled with the deafening roar of the crowd. "LET THE FINAL BATTLE... BEGIN!"

No sooner had these words left the Loudred's mouth, DJ was sent flying back as Aquilla had shot forward and slammed into DJ with an acrobatics attack. _Yep,_ DJ thought. _Today's going to suck._

DJ rolled out of the way in time to avoid a flying press that would have smashed him into the ground. DJ quickly got to his feet and slashed at Aquila with a shadow claw, but the Hawlucha avoided it by launching into the air and gliding away.

Aquila circled around DJ a few times before dive-bombing him, his clawed hand coated in a poisonous purple energy. DJ dove to the side to avoid the poison jab and tried to kick Aquilla with a blaze kick, but Aquilla avoided it by taking to the sky once more.

 _That's going to get annoying,_ DJ grumbled to himself, glaring at the gliding Hawlucha. _I really wish I could use aura sphere for this._

DJ could only watch as Aquila glided overhead, seeming to gain speed as time went on. He suddenly veered off course and shot towards DJ, forcing the Riolu to dive away to avoid it. Once again, when DJ tried to retaliate with a blaze kick, Aquila pulled up and began to glide again.

"What's wrong? I thought you were going to knock me off my throne!" Aquila mocked, dive-bombing DJ once more, forcing him to roll out of the way. "How are you going to do that when all you can do is dodge?!"

DJ gritted his teeth as he was forced to dodge another acrobatics attack. He could here the announcer giving commentary on their fight, but DJ paid no attention in favor of dodging Aquila's attacks. He could now see how Aquila had gone through the entire competition without sustaining any damage.

"I have to commend you!" Aquila jeered. "No one else has lasted this long, but I think its time to end this!" With that he dive-bombed once more, a slightly deranged grin on his face. "It's over!"

Just as he was about to slam into DJ, the Riolu fell backwards, catching himself with his paws. Aquila couldn't even react as DJ brought up his legs -flames running down them- into a handstand, kicking Aquila in the chin with both feet and sending the wrestling Pokémon into the air. DJ continued with the motion, ending up on his feet, before kicking off of the ground and nailing the airborne Hawlucha in the gut with a power-up punch.

Aquila gasped in pain, spit flying from his mouth from the impact. Before he could react, DJ grabbed onto his feathers and pulled himself up so that his legs were above Aquila's head. Aquila's eyes widened when he saw he Riolu's legs erupt in flames before they descended towards him, slamming into his head. Aquila cried out in pain as he was sent barreling towards the ground. He tried to pull up and turn his fall into a glide, but he was falling to fast. He slammed into the ground with a crash and struggled to get to his feet.

DJ -who had let of Aquila once he had kicked him again- landed lightly into a crouch a few feat away from Aquila. "Did you really think that that would work?" he asked.

"H-How'd you do that?!" Aquila demanded.

"I read you moves." Aquila's eyes widened in horror at DJ's proclamation. "You fly in the same exact pattern. While the moment you dive is random, It's still easy to follow your movements."

"You...!" Aquila growled menacingly, getting to his feet. He crossed his arms across his chest, making it so that only his head was visible over his wings/cape. His claws took on a white glow before a white aura traveled across his body before dissipating, a technique that DJ recognized at hone claws. With a lough screech, Aquila dashed towards Riolu with a poison jab.

DJ leaned to the side to avoid the poison jab and retaliated with a power-up punch, which was dodged as well. The two exchanged punches with their respective moves, neither of the duo able to land a hit against the other. DJ was finally able to get a lucky hit and managed to strike Aquila across the face, causing the flying-fighting type to stumble back. Aquila turned and glared at DJ before leaping at him and crushing the emanation Pokémon with a flying press. However, DJ was able to get his legs up under Aquila. With a grunt, DJ catapulted Aquila off him and sent him flying overhead.

Aquila rightened in the air and landed in a crouch and ran at DJ just as he was getting up. Aquila threw a poison jab at DJ that just grazed his cheek as the Riolu was unable to dodge in time. Shaking off the pain, DJ slashed Aquila across the face with a shadow claw then kicked him in the chest with a blaze kick before Aquila could recover.

Aquila stumbled back, clutching his chest in pain. He raised his head to glare at DJ, but was met with a power-up punch to the face. Aquila's head snapped to the side from the attack before striking back with a poison jab, hitting DJ full in the face and sending the Riolu flying back. He then leapt after DJ and crushed him once more with a flying press before pushing off the Riolu and taking to the air again.

Aquila circled around, gaining speed, before diving at DJ as he was struggling to his feet. DJ looked up just in time to see Aquila speeding towards him. Aquila slammed into DJ with a powerful acrobatics attack, sending DJ flying. DJ hit the ground with _boom_. DJ tried to get up, but his body was racked with pain, causing him to fall back down.

"Hmph. Oh how the mighty has fallen," Aquila sneered, landing in front of DJ. "I guess you aren't toppling any thrones today."

DJ glared at Aquila, but he couldn't get to his feet. "Like I said, you should have just quit." Aquila turned and began to walk towards the tunnel, not waiting for the announcer to call his victory. "You lose."

"WELL IT LOOKS LIKE THE WINNER OF THIS BATTLE IS..." the announcer trailed off, causing Aquila to turn back towards DJ. To his surprise, DJ was standing, albeit rather unsteadily, but standing all the same.

Aquila's eyes blazed with unbridled fury as he turned to fully face DJ. "Why won't you just stay down?!"

"Because I need to win this," DJ managed to say, wincing at the pain shooting through his body. "And I'll never lose to an arrogant prick like you!"

Aquila saw read and took off to the skies again, gliding towards DJ at startling speeds. As Aquila closed in on DJ, the emanation Pokémon instinctively raised his paw. DJ formed a small, minuscule aura sphere in his paw just as Aquila slammed into his outstretched paw, causing the aura sphere to explode.

Aquila cried out in pain as he was sent flying back, crashing into the ground, smoke curling from his body. The entire crowd went silent, amazed by the sudden turn of events. DJ kept his arm outstretched, pleased with himself before panicking as he realized that he had just used aura sphere. He had just blown his cover.

"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!" the Loudred shouted. "ORAN HAS JUST USED HIS FOURTH MOVE TO DELIVER A MASSIVE BLOW TO AQUILA. WHAT A FORCE PALM!"

The crowd broke into cheers as DJ sighed in relief over not being found out. "BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THIS FIGHT'S NOT OVER YET!" DJ turned and saw that Aquila was getting back to his feet.

"You'll pay for that," the wrestling Pokémon growled, glaring at DJ. "I won't lose!"

"Then put your poké where your mouth is and let's finish this!" DJ shouted.

Aquila screeched in anger before flying towards DJ with another acrobatics attack. DJ rushed forward to meet the enraged Hawlucha, his fist covered with orange energy. The two ran at each other, both intending to take the other out. Just as their two attacks were about to collide, DJ shifted his arm closer to his side. He firmly planted his feet on the ground, crouched slightly, and brought his fist up in an uppercut which slammed into Aquila's chin. The force of the attack, caused Aquila's head to snap up, stopping his attack dead. DJ then shoved his other paw into Aquila's chest, doing the same 'force palm' attack that he had used earlier.

With a loud _boom_ , Aquila was thrown back and slammed into the opposite wall. The wall cracked from the force of Aquila slamming into it. Aquila fell from the wall, his face twisted in pain, and slumped to the ground. After a few seconds, Aquila still didn't stir.

"UNBELIEVABLE!" the announcer shouted. "IN A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS, THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH, AND THE WINNER OF THE FIFTH ANNUAL FIGHTING SYNDICATE TOURNAMENT, OR-AN!"

There was silence before the entire stadium erupted into applause and cheers. They began chanting DJ's false name to the heavens, showing there support and happiness for the young Riolu.

DJ fell back on his behind, propping himself up with his arms, and sighed in relief. It was over. He had won. A sudden groan brought DJ's gaze to Aquila who was beginning to stir. DJ rose to his feet and began to stumble towards Aquila.

"Ugh. I can't believe I lost," Aquila grumbled, pushing himself onto his knees. He then noticed DJ standing over him and scowled. "What do you want? Come to gloat?"

"No, that's not my style," DJ said, offering a paw to the Hawlucha. Aquila stared at the outstretched paw for a second before grasping it and allowing DJ to pull him to his feet.

"Then what do you want?"

"I just wanted to say thanks for such a great battle." Aquila's eyes widened in surprise. "It's been a while since I've had such a fun fight, so I wanted to say thank you."

"Y-You're thanking me?" Aquila asked in disbelief. "But I was a jerk to you!"

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure I got my point across, so let's just let bygones be bygones," DJ said, giving the stunned Hawlucha a large grin.

Aquila just stood there, stunned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Riolu before him, after being treated like dirt, was willing put all that behind him. Aquila just couldn't believe it.

He stood there for a few more seconds, before scowling. He turned away from DJ and began to walk towards the tunnel to leave the stadium. When he was right at the tunnel he turned back to DJ and pointed at DJ with a claw. "Next time we fight, I will win," he declared, a small smirk on his face.

DJ's eyes widened for a second before he met the smirk with one of his own. "We'll see."

With one final smirk, Aquila left the stadium. While he didn't except DJ's 'hand' of friendship per se, but he felt like they had formed some kind of bond. He then felt eyes on the back of his head -and not the eyes of the crowd. Turning around he locked eyes with Fenrir, who was staring at him intensely. The two held the others gazes for what seemed like an eternity before Fenrir gave DJ predatory smirk and nodded his head at him.

DJ turned away uneasily. Something about that look rubbed him the wrong way.

-Legend-

" _What the_ hell _were you thinking?!_ " DJ winced at Asura's shout. He knew he was in for an earful after that stunt he pulled during his fight with Aquila, but it didn't stop it from being anymore painful. " _You were given explicit instructions to_ not _use aura sphere and what do you do?_ "

"I used aura sphere."

" _You used aura sphere!_ "Asura confirmed harshly. " _How could you be so reckless?! You could've been discovered!_

"Sorry, it was instinctive," DJ defended. "Besides, no one realized that it was an aura sphere. They thought it was force palm!"

" _That's not the point!_ " Asura snapped. " _You could have been caught!_ "

"Well I wasn't, so there," DJ said lamely. "Besides, I had to win in order for the mission, so everything worked out."

A loud knock on his door caused DJ to jump nearly a foot off the ground. "Someone's here, I'll call back as soon as I can," DJ whispered before stowing his badge under his pillow and walking to the door. Opening it, he saw a Machoke standing before him.

"The boss wants to talk to you," the Machoke said without emotion.

"Boss?" DJ questioned.

"Fenrir," he clarified. DJ gulped involuntarily.

-Legend-

DJ followed the Machoke silently down the winding hallways of the stadium, which was apparently Fenrir's base of operations. Eventually he was led to a large finely crafted door with many Pokémon carved into the wood. The Machoke gave three short knocks followed by two long ones and waited. A minute later a curt, "Enter", came from behind the door and the Machoke pushed it open for DJ.

Entering the room, DJ saw that it was a rather spacious office complete with several large filing cabinets that lined the walls and a large wooden desk. Behind said desk was Fenrir, his finger laced together in contemplation as he sized up the Riolu before him. Several other fighting types, most likely members of The Fighting Syndicate, stood all around the room, glaring at DJ. It was safe to say that DJ was just a little bit intimidated.

"So, you are Oran," Fenrir finally said, though this did not ease the tension.

"Y-Yeah," DJ said with a nod.

"I must say, you did very good in our little tournament."

"Th-Thank you, sir."

"No need to be so nervous," Fenrir chuckled. His expression suddenly became dark and sinister, sending chills down DJ's spine. "Unless, that is, you have something to hide."

"N-Nope! I don't have anything to hide," DJ said, trying desperately to hide his nervousness, not that it would help as Fenrir was a Lucario, thus he was able to sense his emotions.

Fenrir's expression then brightened as if nothing had happened. "Good, that's very good to hear. I always hate it when people hide things from me. It makes them... untrustworthy. But I'm sure we won't have that problem, will we?"

DJ shook his head 'no', earning a smile from Fenrir. "Good," Fenrir said. "Now onto business. As I said, the reward for winning the tournament is five thousand poké and a chance to join my organization, so I would like to know... would you like to join? You would be a valuable asset to our organization."

"Y-Yes, of course, sir!"

Fenrir gave a predatory grin. "Good, I'm sure you'll fit in quite nicely. Now, for the icky part."

"Icky part?" DJ asked.

"Yes." Fenrir got up and walked around his desk and stood in front of DJ. "As I said, I don't like it when people hide things from me, so I make it a rule that my employees cannot lie. And you have broken that rule."

Before DJ even knew what was happening, he was pinned on the ground, each of his arms held by a Gurdurr.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" DJ demanded, struggling in the two fighting type's grip.

"I don't like liars, Oran, or should I say... DJ." DJ froze. He had been found out.

"Wh-What are you talking abo-" DJ was cut off when Fenrir lightly stomped on his head.

"I do believe I've already said that I do not appreciate lies, so how about we caught the crap," Fenrir snarled, his voice suddenly becoming dangerous.

"How'd you know?" DJ grumbled, his voice slightly muffled.

Fenrir lifted his foot from DJ's head and crouched down in front of him. "I didn't know it was you at first, not until I saw you use aura sphere when fighting that Hawlucha. I did know, however, that you were an exploration member from the start."

"How."

Instead of answering, Fenrir snapped his fingers and a Tyrogue entered. If possible, DJ paled even further when he saw that superpower Pokémon was holding his badge in his hand.

"We monitored all of our competitors from the start of the tournament," Fenrir said nonchalantly, getting back up and walking around his desk. He sat behind his desk and motioned for the two holding me down to lift me up so I could look at him. "Imagine my surprise when we saw a certain Riolu with an exploration badge."

DJ glared defiantly at the Lucario before him, but on the inside he was panicking. Part of him wanted to fight, but he was still held by the two Gurdurr plus he was still weak from his fight with Aquila. He was completely under their mercy.

"So, now the question is..." Fenrir leaned over his desk, his predatory smirk going full blast. "what to do with you, little pup?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Things Don't Go According To Plan

"Where the hell is DJ?" Asura asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "He should have contacted us by now!"

"Maybe he got held up," Jackson suggested. "You did say that someone was knocking on his door. He might have been called upon by Fenrir."

"You don't think he's in trouble, do you?" Katara asked anxiously.

"I am positive that Alpha is fine," Leaf said apathetically, though it was clear by his body language that he too was anxious.

"I'm sure he's fine," Grace reassured. "He did prove he could handle himself during the tournament."

"Yes, other than him disobeying an order and using aura sphere during his last fight," Asura grumbled.

"We both know he didn't have a choice," Grace said in a scolding tone. "He had to win the tournament for our plan to come to fruition and that Hawlucha was powerful."

"That he was," Jet agreed. "Anyway, I'm sure the pup'll contact us when he gets the chance." Not five seconds after Jet said this, Asura's badge began to beep, indicating that he was receiving a call. "See, told ya'."

"Yeah, yeah," Asura said, rolling his eyes at the Floatzel's antics. He pulled out his badge and answered the call. "DJ, is that you? What the hell took you so long?!"

" _Asura? Are you there?!_ " The group immediately noted the panicked tone of DJ's voice. Something was wrong.

"DJ? What's wrong?!" Asura demanded.

" _Fenrir, he...he found who I am! I managed to get away, but his goons are after me!_ "

"Where are you right now?!"

" _I'm in the hallways under the stadium,_ " he answered breathlessly. " _I think I'm near the tunnels leading to the arena, but I'm not-ARGH!_ " The sound of a small explosion and a dull thud could be heard through the device before it cut to static.

"DJ? DJ?!" Asura shouted into the device, but he was met by silence. He looked at his horror struck team and a silent message passed through all of them. They had to rescue their teammate. Without a word, the group of ten rushed through the hallway towards the arena.

-Legend-

Team Stardust rushed through the winding hallways and stairs, pushing past the exiting Pokémon as they went. They made it to the bottom floor and worked their way to the stadium floor. Reaching one of the four tunnels that led to the stadium, they saw that it was almost completely black. The spotlights that always shone down on the stadium turned off.

"Where's DJ?" Katara whispered.

"I'm not sure," Asura responded, glancing around uneasily.

"Maybe they took him to a secret warehouse to get rid of his body!" Blitz exclaimed, only to receive a smack from Bertha.

"Shut up, Blitz. Now's not the time for joking around," she scolded.

"This is unnerving," Drake commented.

"I agree, it's too quiet," Blade said.

"Now's not the time to lose your nerve," Jet said. "We're here to save DJ!"

The group pushed cautiously into the stadium, glancing around to see if there was anyone hiding in the stands. The rings on Jackson's body lit up, offering some light to the exploration team, but they could still hardly see anything. When they reached approximately the center of the stadium, the sound of slow clapping reached their ears.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. "I knew exploration members were foolishly loyal to their own, but even I didn't anticipate you'd get here that fast!"

The spotlights turned on, flooding the arena with light that temporarily blinded the team. When their eyes finally adjusted, they could see that in the stands were multiple fighting types, ruffly thirty or more in total, each glaring down at the team. In the top box was Fenrir himself, sitting in his throne like chair with a cruel smirk stretched across his face.

"So this is the legendary Team Stardust. It is an honor to make your acquaintance," Fenrir said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Allow me to extend my sincere hospitality."

At his words, the surrounding fighting types climbed down from the stands and onto the arena floor. They circled the group and advanced threateningly, forcing them to back up against one another. They were completely trapped.

"Now, now, boys. There's no need to become violent. I'm sure we can have a nice conversation like civilized Pokémon," Fenrir said placatingly, though it was clear by his sinister expression that he was enjoying this. "Now, may I ask why you have decided to come here. It was my understanding that the exploration society doesn't see me in he best light." The team said nothing, simply glaring at the scarred Lucario.

"Silence, huh? That's fine. I can infer what you were here to do." Fenrir closed his eyes and stroked his chin as if in thought. After several moments, he opened his eyes and snapped his fingers in comprehension. "I've got it! You all snuck here to see my competition!" His eyes closed in apparent glee, though his smile still held an edge of dark humor to it.

"I'm so flattered that you took the time to come and see my competition," he exclaimed. "All the proceeds goes to a charity, you know?"

"Yeah, the charity of your wallet," Jet growled lowly.

"Oh? And who told you that?" Fenrir asked, his smile never dropping.

"No one needed to! We know what you do!" Jet shouted.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Fenrir drawled.

"Thefts? Kidnappings? That ring any bells?"

"Can't say that it does?" the Lucario said with a shake of his head. "Sorry, I can't help you."

"Where's DJ?!" Katara demanded, glaring up at the Lucario.

"DJ? Hmm, I don't think I know a _DJ_ ," Fenrir said in mock confusion. "Unless you mean _Oran_." Katara glared hatefully at Fenrir, causing him to chuckle evilly.

"Now what's with that face? Are you perhaps angry?" Fenrir leaned forward over the box, his gaze firmly planted on Katara. "You must really care for him to make such a face. I wonder how far that care truly goes..."

"Enough games, Fenrir!" Asura snarled. "Where's our Riolu?!"

" _Your_ Riolu? That makes it sound like he is a simple object than a Pokémon." Asura growled angrily, but said nothing else. "And besides, I don't think he's _yours_ anymore"

"What the hell do you mean?" Asura snapped.

"See for yourself." Fenrir smiled cockily and snapped his fingers. A second later, a small figure stepped out from the shadows of the top box. A very familiar figure.

"No way," Blitz gasped.

"I can't be," Jet said.

"This can't be real," Jackson muttered.

"DJ," Katara whispered.

Standing beside Fenrir was DJ. His blue eyes cold as ice as he sneered down at his friends. His arms were crossed across his chest, further adding the superior air that seemed to surround the Riolu.

"As you can see, he's playing for my team now," Fenrir said, reveling in the shock from Team Stardust.

"That's not true!" Katara shouted. "You did something to him, didn't you?!"

"I've done nothing of the sort," Fenrir responded as if offended by Katara's accusation. He then turned to DJ and smirked. "Why don't you tell them, Oran."

DJ glanced at Fenrir before turning back to his team. "The only thing he's done to me is offer me a better deal than I had with you."

"A better...deal?" Katara asked in disbelief. She was at first caught off guard by DJ's apathetic tone, but her shock soon turned to anger. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

"Just what I meant," DJ sneered. He uncrossed his arms and lobbed something over the edge of the box and towards Katara. She caught the offending object and, to her horror, saw that it was DJ's exploration badge.

"Wh-What?"

"Consider this my resignation," DJ said simply with a careless shrug.

"WHAT?!" DJ's former team shouted.

"Jeez, always so loud," DJ said, rubbing his ears.

"They are quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Fenrir stated.

"What do you mean your 'resignation'?!" Katara demanded.

"Just what I said. I'm quitting the team. Fenrir offered me a much better deal."

"So you're just leaving?! What about all we've been through?!" Katara shouted.

"What of them?" DJ said with a shrug.

"Didn't your time with us mean anything?!"

"Not really. It was just a job. And now I have one that pays more"

"Just a job?! But DJ-"

"Names not DJ anymore," DJ interrupted. "That was the name I used when I was nothing but a lowly exploration team member. It's Oran now."

Team Stardust could only stare at there now former friend in shock. Here he was, the former human that thy took into there team, befriended and stuck with through the thick and thin, casting them aside like yesterday's garbage. Katara clenched her hand around DJ's badge. She bowed her head, the shadows covering her face.

"So that's it then?" she asked, her face still facing he ground. "After all that we've been through, you're just going to cast us aside for what? Money?"

"Not just, any money. A lot of money," Fenrir interjected, placing a paw on DJ's shoulder. "He made the smart decision to join me group."

"If you were planning on join him then why'd you call us telling us you were in trouble!" Asura shouted.

"Oh, that was my doing," Fenrir admitted. "When young Oran decided to join me, he told me everything, including what you were all planning to do here and I'm afraid that I can't afford to have you snooping around." The Lucario raised his paw and snapped his fingers once more and his twenty plus fighting types began to advance upon Team Stardust.

"You see there are many things that I dislike, liars being the main thing, but snoopers is a close second." The fighting types drew closer, forcing the team to get closer to each other. "After all, who know what you'd find if you continued with your search."

"What do you mean by that?" Jackson asked, eyeing the approaching fighting types.

"Oh, I suppose I can tell you, after all, even if you survive, you have no proof. The truth of the matter is that I have indeed been dealing in illegal matters," Fenrir explained.

"So you were involved in all those kidnappings and thefts?" Grace questioned.

"That's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg." Fenrir's grin, if possible, grew even larger and more sinister. "I've done so much more than that! Shake downs, selling counterfeit products, I've even taken out several explorers for their items!"

"You're a monster," Bertha said in disdain.

"And no one will ever know," Fenrir jeered, his grin becoming pure evil.

"Are you really going to let this happen, DJ?!" Katara shouted desperately.

"I told you, the name's Oran," the Riolu said coldly.

"I thought we were friends..." Katara said pleadingly.

"I have new friends now." he responded solemnly.

"I guess they everyone was wrong, money can buy anything," Fenrir said , laughing to himself. "Looks like this is your end, Team Stardust. You disappear without a trace while life for me continues normally."

"This is bad," Jet murmured. "We can't escape."

"We will have to fight our way out," Drake said.

"Alpha..." Leaf muttered, still staring at DJ with an unreadable expression.

"Snap out of it, Leaf," Jackson said. "We need to focus on the fight. We need to get out of here so we can tell Guildmaster Gallade what's happening!"

"That's highly unlikely," Fenrir interjected, "and even if you do escape, you have no proof."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Fenrir's attention shifted to Katara who was glaring defiantly up at him.

"Oh, and how do you figure that?" he asked condescendingly. In response, she held up the badge DJ had thrown.

"And what are you going to do with that?" he sneered. "This isn't a dungeon, you can't just teleport out of here."

"Duh, but that's not the only use these badges have," she chirped, holding up the badge. "Funny thing about exploration badges, they can transmit messages to other badges through a set of Dedenne that are employed at the guild."

"So what?" Fenrir growled irritation.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, this badge is currently transmitting to our guildmaster!"

Fenrir gasped in shock, his eyes widening marginally. "But how? You never activated it. Unless..." Fenrir face turned to one of horror as he turned to the Riolu standing next to him. DJ looked up at him with unreadable expression on his face. "Oran..."

The Riolu remained impassive for a few seconds before his face broke out in a cheeky grin. "Sorry, the name's DJ."

"Wha-!" Before he could even say anything, DJ had slammed a force palm into his chest, sending the Lucario crashing into his throne, toppling it.

With that, DJ leapt from the top box and landed in front of his team. He glanced back at Katara, still smiling cheekily. "Do I still got it?" he asked.

"Yes you do," Katara said, rolling her eyes playfully at the Riolu.

"Wait, wait, what?!" Blitz exclaimed. "What the heck is going on?!"

"What, you didn't really think that I'd team up with _that_ jerk, did you?" DJ asked. "I'm hurt."

"Yeah, Blitz. Couldn't you tell he was kidding?" Jet asked.

"Huh?!" Blitz shouted.

"Yeah, dude. It was really obvious," Jackson added.

"You should never doubt Alpha," Leaf chided.

"Am I seriously the only one who didn't know he was faking?!" Blitz demanded.

"Well, you and Fenrir," Graced said while smiling kindly.

"Aww," Blitz muttered, his ears drooping.

"How dare you..." The team looked back up at the top box and saw Fenrir glaring down at them, fury emanating from him. His paws gripped the railing so hard that he was actually bending the metal. "How dare you betray me!"

"I can't betray what I was never a part of," DJ shot back.

Fenrir roared in rage before leaping down in front of DJ. Before he could react, Fenrir lashed out with a kick, sending the poor Riolu to the other side of the arena. He turned to his fighting types, who all took a step back at the intensity in his eyes.

"Kill them, but leave the Riolu," he said, turning towards where DJ had flown. "He's mine." With that he leapt after DJ.

"No you don't!" Katara attempted to leap after Fenrir, but se was blocked by a Machoke.

"You're not going anywhere, little lady," the Machoke said, grinning sadistically at the Frogadier.

"Get out of my way!" Katara shouted, quickly forming a water pulse and hurling it at the Machoke. As the orb of condensed water shot towards the Machoke, he raised his arm and in one swift movement, cut through the attack with a karate chop.

"Not happening, sweetheart," he jeered before running at Katara, his fist crackling with electricity. However, before he could reach her, he was pelted by a series of green orbs.

Katara turned towards the direction of the attack and saw Asura glaring at her. "Get focused Katara!" he shouted, dodging a kick. "You can't afford to be distracted right now!"

"But what about DJ?!" she shouted back, glancing at the spot where the two aura sensitive Pokémon were fighting.

"He can handle himself!" Jackson interjected as he threw several fighting types back with a well placed psychic. "We can't do anything to help him as long as all of Fenrir's cronies are here. We need to thin the herds!"

"DJ has fought tough foes before, Fenrir is no different," Asura added, seeing Katara's mutinous look. "If you really want to help him, help us! Now, hurry up, and take down these beefed up muscle heads!"

"Hey!" a Tyrogue yelled indigently, only to be knocked out by a flying bone to the back of the head.

"And stay down!" Bertha shouted, catching her bone. "That's one more for me!"

"Nice one, Bertha!" Blitz appraised, blasting another fighting type with a bolt of lightning. "That's another one for me!"

"Are you really turning this into a game?!" Blade asked incredulously. "At a time like this?!"

Blade looked like he wanted to say more, but was interrupted by a huge torrent of pink wind cut through the arena, scooping up four fighting types.

"That's four for me!" Grace called cheerfully.

"Seriously?!" Blade shouted. He turned to his brother. "Are we the only sane ones on this team?!"

Before Drake answered, he blasted another fighting type with a dragon pulse. "That's another one for me," he said monotonously.

"Why me," Blade moaned. "Screw it." He raised both his claws and fired a harsh purple beam from his pincers, taking out several Pokémon. "Three for me!"

Katara gave one last glance towards where DJ was before steeling her resolve. "Fine then." In a blur, she dashed towards a surprised Hitmonchan.

"What the-" He never got to finish his sentence as Katara repeatedly slashed at him with her aerial ace attack. He went down like a sack of flour.

 _I have to do this, so that I can help DJ!_ she thought determinedly. "That's one for me!" she shouted.

-Legend-

At the other end of the arena, things were not going well for DJ. After the initial hit that sent him flying, he had been on the defensive. Fenrir attack like a wild beast, punching and kicking wildly yet in a controlled manner. Needless to say, DJ was having a tough time.

"It's already over, Fenrir! Our guildmaster heard everything and he and the authorities are already on their way!" DJ said as he defended against Fenrir's attacks.

"By which time you and your friends will be dead!" Fenrir snarled angrily. His movements suddenly became more rapid as he continued his assault. Soon DJ became hard pressed to avoid his attacks.

"GAH!" DJ cried out in pain when Fenrir was able to break his guard with a high kick before slamming a force palm into his chest. Before DJ could fall back, Fenrir grabbed his arm and pulled him into another force palm, this one even stronger than before. DJ gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs and fell onto his back, gripping his chest.

"Get up," Fenrir snarled. "I'm not done with you yet!"

DJ pushed through the pain and began to push himself off the ground. Just as he got back up on shaky legs, he was kicked in the face by Fenrir and sent back to the dirt.

"Get up!" Fenrir shouted, grabbing one of DJ's aura sensors and yanking him to his feet, eliciting a cry of pain from DJ. "I told you I wasn't-"

Whatever he was going to say was lost when DJ fired a point blank aura sphere into Fenrir's face. Fenrir roared in pain, letting DJ go and clutching his face. DJ steadied himself and launched himself at Fenrir. Igniting his leg in flames, DJ slammed a full power blaze kick into Fenrir's gut.

The Lucario hissed in pain as the searing hot foot burned him. He glared at the hatefully at the child in front of him and swung a fist towards DJ's head. DJ ducked under the attack and attempted to slash Fenrir with a shadow claw, only for the Lucario to grab his wrist.

"You're going to regret this, brat," Fenrir growled. With a primal roar, Fenrir twisted around, bringing DJ with him, and slammed him into the ground.

DJ grunted in pain from the impact, but pushed it aside in order to roll out of the way to avoid being stomped on. He rolled to his feet and brought up his arm in order to deflect Fenrir's force palm. He raised his off arm and formed an aura sphere in his paw. Without hesitation, DJ slammed the aura sphere into the Lucario's stomach.

Fenrir gritted his teeth in pain as he skid across the ground, though he stood his ground. DJ dashed forward, rearing back his arm in preparation for a power-up punch, however just before DJ reached him, Fenrir raised his paws and fired a dark pulse at the Riolu.

DJ's eyes widened in shock and horror as he tried slow his charge, but he was unable to stop. Despite the attack being weak against fighting types, the force behind it was enough to send DJ crashing to the ground. DJ grunted in pain as he got to his feet once more. He glared tiredly at the condescending Lucario.

"That was a nice try, but all in all, futile," Fenrir sneered.

"I'm not done yet!" DJ shouted before firing an aura sphere.

"Pointless!" Fenrir shouted, firing an aura sphere of his own.

The two attacks slammed into the other, battling for dominance, before Fenrir's broke through DJ's attack and hurtled towards the startled Riolu. The blue sphere slammed into the young Riolu's chest, dragging him across the arena and into the opposite wall before exploding.

DJ groaned in pain as he fell forward, just barely able to catch himself on his hands and knees. "Dammit..." he wheezed in pain.

"Truly pathetic," Fenrir sneered, a condescending scowl fixed on his face. "So much potential, just thrown away." He sighed and shook his head. "Disappointing."

"Screw...you," DJ said weakly, trying and failing to get to his feet.

"I could have made you powerful," Fenrir continued as if he hadn't heard DJ, "but you chose your _friends_ instead. Can't you see that they will only hold you back?!"

"You're lying!" DJ growled. "My friends aren't holding me back!"

"Don't kid yourself! If it wasn't for them and their little team then you'd be free to get stronger on your own instead of being stuck getting Skitty out of trees!"

"You're wrong! My friends are the ones that push me to get stronger! It's because of them that I am strong!"

"And look where they are now!" Fenrir waved a hand towards Team Stardust. To DJ's horror, Fenrir's fighting types were beginning to clump his team together. While they weren't very strong, the sheer number of them were beginning to overwhelm them. "They're already being overrun. It's only a matter of time before they're finished."

"You don't know them like I do. They'll beat your goons!" DJ said confidently. "Just like I'll beat you!"

"Keep dreaming, kid. Just look where you are!" Fenrir gestured to DJ. "On your knees and about to die along with your friends." He raised his paw towards DJ. "This is the end."

"No, I refuse to lose to you!" DJ shouted, trying once again to get to his feet.

"Too bad," he said coldly. "You are weak and you always will be." An aura sphere formed in his paw. "You should have joined me when you had the chance."

 _This can't be how it ends,_ DJ thought, curling his fingers into fists. _After all I've been through, am I really going to die to this guy?_

 _But what can I do? He's stronger than me._

 _So what?! I've fought plenty of foes that have been stronger than me! What makes him any different?_

 _That's right... I've fought strong foes before. I can't give up now!_ Forcing back his pain, he shakily pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled a little before catching himself and getting to his feet. He raised his head and glared at the older Pokémon.

"Choosing to die on your feet? Admirable, but pointless," Fenrir scoffed. He pushed more power into his aura sphere, causing it to swell up until it was half DJ's size. "This is your end. Goodbye, little pup." With a final condescending look, he fired the attack.

DJ glared defiantly at the encroaching attack. _No, this is not the end!_ DJ thought. _I can't die like this._ His paw unconsciously raised to his collar.

 _I won't die like this!_

The sphere grew closer.

 _I refuse to die here!_

His grip tightened around his collar.

 _I WILL WIN!_

 **CLINCK!**

 **BOOM!**

An explosion consumed DJ's form and tore through the arena floor. A large dust cloud blanketed the area. Fenrir stared at the dust cloud impassively before turning away.

"Such a waste," he muttered. He glanced towards Team Stardust and his fighting types and saw that they were at a stalemate. "Useless fools. At this rate Magnezone will get here before they're all dead. It'll be best if I got out of here now. I'll have to make an entirely knew organization, but it will all be worth it."

He smirked evilly. "Yes it will all work out. As soon as this all blows over, I'll be back on top in no time. Nothing can stop me!"

Before he could say anything else a bright blue light shot out from the settling dust cloud. Fenrir whipped around towards the light, his eyes wide. The dust fell revealing a steadily growing figure. Then, as abruptly as the light started, it disappeared, revealing another Lucario with its eyes closed. In its paw was a broken gold collar.

The Lucario opened its eyes, revealing a familiar pair of blue eyes which narrowed at the other Lucario. "Don't count your Togepi before they hatch," the Lucario said coldly.

"No, that's not possible," Fenrir muttered, fear coloring his voice.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises." The new Lucario slipped into a fighting stance, his entire demeanor exuding confidence. "So, ready for round two?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

A Surprising Turn of Events

"You...evolved?!" Fenrir demanded in fury and shock.

"It appears so," DJ drawled, tossing his now broken collar to the side. "I gotta say, it feels nice to be tall."

"You won't get the chance to enjoy it," Fenrir snarled, quickly getting over his shock and slipping into a fighting stance. "I'll kill you now and be done with you!"

DJ's answer was a confident smirk as he slipped into his own fighting stance.

"You're welcome to try," he taunted.

Fenrir growled in outrage before lunging at DJ, his paw charged with energy. Fenrir bore down on DJ, his paw reared back in preparation for an attack, but right before they could find purchase DJ blurred out of existence, causing Fenrir's paw to slam into the ground before exploding, leaving a small crater in the ground.

"What the...?" Fenrir didn't get the chance to finish his question as a strong force slammed into his back, sending him crashing to the floor. Fenrir rolled over onto his back and stared up at a smirking DJ in astonishment.

"Well, that's new," DJ commented.

"Extreme speed," Fenrir murmured in reluctant surprise. "How have you mastered it so fast."

"No idea," DJ confessed. "but I really don't care."

Before Fenrir could react, DJ kicked Fenrir across the face. "All that matters is that I beat you," DJ said determinedly.

"Hmph, you think a new move will be enough to beat me?" Fenrir scoffed as he rose to his feet. "You still don't have a chance!"

"I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?" Fenrir growled at DJ's blasé response. He charged up an aura sphere and fired it at the new Lucario, only for it to be dodged like his metal claw.

DJ reappeared at Fenrir's side and sent a power-up punch towards his face. The only thing that saved Fenrir from receiving a punch to the jaw was his years of battle experience. The elder Lucario ducked under the punch, causing the attack to sail over his head. Still crouched, Fenrir reared back his arm before thrusting it forward towards DJ's stomach, his paw crackling with energy. Fully expecting the attack to hit, Fenrir let a smirk stretch across his face only for it to quickly turn into an expression of shock when DJ smacked his paw away before kicking Fenrir in the face.

"GAH!" Fenrir cried out, more out shock then pain, and stumbled back.

"Huh, I meant for that to be blaze kick. I guess that was what I had to give up," DJ reasoned, not really worried. "I'll just have to use my other moves to beat you."

"You should take your own advice and presume too much!" Fenrir roared as he lunged at DJ again with metal claw.

DJ bent backwards to avoid Fenrir's attack, throwing back his arms to brace himself. He then kicked off the ground and slammed his feet into Fenrir's chin, snapping his head up as DJ continued the momentum until he was on his feet again. The moment DJ rightened himself he lunged forward and buried a power-up punch into Fenrir's gut.

Fenrir's eyes bugged out as he gasped in pain, air and spittle escaping his mouth as he folded over DJ's fist. He raised his head and stared up at DJ, who was giving him an unimpressed look. The surprise that he had been feeling from the other Lucario's sudden power gain vanished, replaced by unrestrained fury. Fenrir's vision bled red and with a roar he lashed at DJ's face with metal claw. With a flick of his wrist, DJ batted away Fenrir's paw before the claws could reach him and punched Fenrir across the face with another power-up punch.

Fenrir staggered back from the hit before giving DJ a look of absolute hate. He raised his paws and fired two aura spheres at DJ in quick succession. DJ stared down the rapidly approaching spheres before channeling ghost type energy into his arms and forming two shadow claws. Without missing a beat, he ran forward and cut through the two attacks, causing them to detonate. Unperturbed by the explosion, DJ dashed through the smoke, the only thing on his mind was reaching his target.

Fenrir took a step back in surprise at the swift destruction of his attack before steeling himself and firing a dark pulse at the encroaching aura Pokémon. DJ kept charging despite the speeding barrage of dark rings. At the last second, DJ jumped into the air, avoiding the attack and closing the distance between him and Fenrir. DJ landed in front of the startled and before he could back away DJ slashed him twice across the chest with his shadow claw. Before Fenrir could even form some type of counter attack his was punched yet again in the face with a power-up punch.

Fenrir fell to the ground from the third power-up punch, but was back on his feet in an instant. Fenrir raised his paws in preparation for another attack, but before he could DJ suddenly appeared in front of him. Fenrir only had time to widen his eyes before he was sent flying.

"I'm _really_ loving this new move," DJ said in satisfaction.

"You little brat," Fenrir grunted as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"Not so little any more," DJ commented cheekily.

"Grrr," Fenrir growled before flinging an aura sphere at DJ.

DJ gave an uncharacteristic scoff and batted the weak aura sphere to the side, not even looking when it exploded. Fenrir could only stare gobsmacked at how easily his attack had been deflected. He was too shocked to do anything when DJ formed a glowing sphere of his own in his paw and fired it at Fenrir.

 **BOOM!**

"GAH!" Fenrir screamed in pain as the glowing sphere exploded against his chest and sent flying into a wall.

"We were already close to each other's level when I was a Riolu. Now that I've evolved my power has surpassed yours," DJ called, calmly walking towards the slowly rising Lucario. "Give up now before I have to make you."

Fenrir gritted his teeth in anger, his pride not willing to let him surrender. Despite his anger, he knew that the other Lucario was right, he couldn't beat him as he is now. Fenrir's eyes suddenly brightened as a thought crossed his mind.

"Yes, that will work perfectly," he mumbled, a gleeful yet sinister grin finding its way on his face.

"What was that?" DJ inquired.

"You'll find out soon enough," Fenrir said before firing a dark pulse at DJ.

DJ instinctively fired an aura sphere to block the attack. The two attacks collided, causing a large explosion that temporarily blinded DJ. When the smoke finally cleared DJ could see Fenrir running down one of the tunnels.

"Oh no you don't!" DJ shouted before running after the fleeing Lucario, trusting that his friends would be fine on their own.

-Legend-

DJ chased Fenrir down the twisting hallways of the stadium. He decided against using extreme speed in order to preserve energy. As he chased the Lucario, DJ vaguely thought that the hallway looked familiar, though he didn't know from where. It wasn't until he saw the large ornate door that was at the other end of the hallway that he remembered why the hallway looked familiar.

"He's running to his office!" DJ realized. He quickly charged up an aura sphere and fired it.

The aura sphere sailed through the air and slammed into Fenrir's back just as he grasped the door knob. The orb exploded with such force that it propelled Fenrir through the door and into his office. A loud crash followed by a low groan indicated that Fenrir had smashed through his desk.

DJ quickly leapt through the broken door and confronted the injured Lucario. "It's over, Fenrir," he said. "There's nowhere to run!"

"Who's running?" Fenrir asked, grinning maniacally.

"Uh...you were? Just now."

"I was not running I was merely procuring the instrument of your demise!" He raised up his right arm, revealing a small orange orb with a strange blue and red symbol in the center. "Behold, your demise."

"A rock?" DJ asked flatly. "What are you going to do? Throw it at me?"

"Fool! Do you not realize the power of a mega stone?!"

"Mega...stone?" DJ inquired. "What's that?"

"You truly are a fool. Mega stones are the key to mega evolution! Now, behold the power of Lucarionite!" Fenrir closed his eyes and gripped the orange stone tightly. All of a sudden the stone pulsed with energy before glowing brightly, forcing DJ to shield his eyes.

The stone glowed even brighter as four streams of energy were emitted by the stone. As the light touched him, Fenrir's body lit up bright red. DJ was forced to shield his eyes as the light lit up the large office. When it finally faded, DJ gasped at Fenrir's sudden metamorphosis.

His aura sensors had grown longer to the point where they reached the small of his back, the tips of the longest two looking as if they were dipped in blood. His tail became longer and thicker, becoming the same color as his chest fur, which now had an untidy look to it. An extra set of spikes popped out on his now red paws along with two on each foot -also having also turned red- and two on his shoulders. The 'bandit mask' was now stretched out and spiky, giving the Lucario a more severe look to his face. Black lines stretched all along his arms and legs, giving Fenrir an almost ancient look.

"What is that?" DJ asked in awe.

"Behold, mega Lucario!" Fenrir cried egotistically. Then, with speed that he did not have before, Fenrir dashed towards DJ, catching the recently evolved Pokémon off guard. Before DJ could react, Fenrir slammed a paw into DJ's gut, causing the young Lucario to gasp in pain. Not even a second later, Fenrir released the pint up energy in his paw and sent DJ flying.

DJ cried out in pain as he flew through the broken door and into the hallway. DJ skidded across the ground, his new chest spike digging into the concrete. DJ pushed himself to his feet and stared at the altered Lucario in surprise and a touch of horror.

"What's wrong, pup?" Fenrir jeered as he stepped out of his ruined office and into the hallway. "You were talking all that good shit before, what happened to that confidence? Scared?"

"Not a chance," DJ growled. "A little makeover won't stop me from kicking your ass!"

"We shall see." Fenrir grinned before he charged at DJ.

DJ tensed and swung his arm out to block Fenrir from hitting him with a force palm. He then attempted to strike Fenrir with a power-up punch only for his wrist to be caught by the evolved Lucario. Fenrir smirked at the younger Pokémon before punching DJ in the gut. DJ reeled back, but before he could get away Fenrir began to punch and kick him in rapid succession, all the while keeping a firm grip on DJ's wrist.

Poor DJ was helpless against Fenrir's brutal assault, only able to bring up his free arm in a measly form of defense. Fenrir finally ended his attack by letting go of the Lucario and planting a particularly viscous kick in DJ's sternum, just below his spike.

DJ slid across the floor from the force of the attack and managed to remain upright. Wincing in pain, DJ raised an arm in order to fire an aura sphere at Fenrir, only for said Lucario to suddenly appear before him and knock his arm away. Unable to react, DJ could not stop Fenrir from slamming a force palm into DJ's gut.

DJ was once again flung down the hallway from Fenrir's attack, slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the stone. Opening his eyes, DJ quickly moved to the side to avoid an aura sphere that destroyed the portion of the wall that DJ had slammed into moments before. In retaliation, DJ fired an aura sphere of his own at Fenrir, who was charging him.

Fenrir sidestepped the attack and kept running towards DJ, his paw once more reared back. Just before Fenrir could hit DJ with his force palm, the young Lucario disappeared, causing his attack to destroy another portion of the wall. Eyes widening slightly, Fenrir was caught off guard when he was hit from the left, sending him to the adjacent hallway.

Fenrir fell onto his back, but recovered quick enough to avoid a power-up punch directed at his head. He then lashed out with his foot and managed to kick DJ's legs out from under him. Falling to the floor, DJ was forced the bring up his arms to keep Fenrir off of him as he attempted to punch him when he was down. Struggling against the mega evolved aura Pokémon DJ managed to get his foot between him and the older Pokémon and with a grunt, kicked the Lucario off him.

Fenrir flipped in the air and landed on all fours, growling ferally at DJ as he got up. Fenrir charged up an aura sphere and fired it at DJ. Seeing the attack, DJ activated shadow claw and slashed at the rapidly approaching sphere. Electricity sparked from the two opposing attacks as DJ struggled against the aura sphere. After several seconds, the aura sphere's stability gave out and exploded, engulfing DJ in smoke.

When DJ opened his eyes, having closed them when the aura sphere exploded, he saw Fenrir charging through the smoke at him. Thinking quickly, DJ used extreme speed to avoid the ensuing close combat. DJ weaved through the attacks with a slightly panicked sense of urgency, barely dodging Fenrir's relentless assault.

"Hold still!" Enraged that he wasn't hitting the elusive Lucario, Fenrir sent a jab straight towards DJ's face. At the last second, DJ moved to the side and sent a power-up punch at Fenrir, knocking him back several feet.

Capitalizing on his opponent's stunned state, DJ rammed into him with an extreme speed. Fenrir skid back a foot or so before glaring down at DJ. Bringing both his arms up he slammed twin force palms into DJ.

The newly evolved aura Pokémon cried out in pain as he was pushed back from the dual attacks. He raised his head only to see a dark pulse speeding towards him. He quickly dove to the side to avoid the attack and fired and aura sphere at the mega evolved Lucario.

Fenrir brought up his arms in an 'x' guard and braced himself as the attack rammed into his arms and exploded. Fenrir skid across the ground from the force of the attack. Upon lowering his guard he was greeted with the sight of DJ right in front of him, his arm cocked back and his paw engulfed in a bright orange light. DJ slammed his fist into Fenrir's face for the fourth time that day, causing Fenrir's head to jerk back.

DJ couldn't stop the satisfied smirk from appearing on his face when his attack made contact. Said smirk fell when Fenrir turned his head back towards DJ and glared. Before DJ could retract his fist he was caught up in another close combat, this one more vicious and brutal then the last.

DJ was unable defend himself as he was practically bludgeoned by the hard blows, each hit causing DJ to jerk back. With a final roar, Fenrir back handed the newly evolved DJ hard enough to send him skidding across the ground. He did not get back up.

Fenrir panted lightly from exertion. It had been a close fight for him. Even with his mega evolution the young Lucario had put him through his paces. It was a shame really, the pup had potential, but he threw it all away. Fenrir was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye.

"You're still conscious?" Fenrir asked in disbelief as he watched DJ struggle to his feet.

"I...told you...I won't lose," DJ panted, struggling to push himself to his feet.

"I admire your tenacity, but it's pointless," Fenrir sneered condescendingly at DJ. "You have no chance against my mega form!" When he saw DJ was still trying to get up he scowled. "Why do you refuse to accept your fight? You know you can't win, so what's the point?!"

"Because I don't know that I can't win." Fenrir's eyes widened at DJ proclamation. "I don't know that I can't win against foes, that's why I fight. As far as I'm concerned, even a Magikarp could defeat a Dragonite if they fought with everything they had and refused to surrender. If I were to give up, then I wouldn't know if I could win or not." By this point DJ had made it to his feet, although he was standing rather shaky.

"That's why I refuse to give up," DJ continued, now glaring at the other Lucario, his voice gaining confidence with each word he spoke. "I won't know if I can win if I give up now, so I won't! I'll keep fighting 'til I can't fight anymore!"

Fenrir gawked openly at the Lucario before his gaze became steely. "A foolish delusion. You refuse to give up because you _might_ win? Fool! You can't win a fight on determination alone, it's all about power! Power is what decides a fight, not foolish ideals. Those are just the ramblings of the weak who try to act strong. It's disgraceful!"

Fenrir brought up his paws and pitch black energy began to coalesce around his paw. "Your weakness, it makes me sick just to be near it. I'll eradicate you and be rid of it!" The foul energy around his paw magnified with each word. DJ could feel the malicious intent of the attack as it grew in strength.

"I've always been told that being killed by a dark type attack is one of the most painful ways to die," Fenrir said harshly, his voice holding nothing but sadistic glee over the thought. "Let's test that, shall we?"

Before DJ could respond, Fenrir unleashed the dark energy in the form of a large dark pulse. The attack slammed into DJ, but he refused to fall. He gritted his teeth in pain as Fenrir continued to bombard him with the dark rings. He could feel the dark energy begin to seep at his strength, causing his stance to falter before he fell to his knees.

Then, just as quickly as his strength began to waver, it began to strengthen. He was still injured, yet it felt as if his power was growing. He slowly began to get to his feet, bringing up his arms to protect himself against the continued to dark pulse. A red aura cloaked his form as more DJ's strength continued to increase. DJ tensed his body before throwing his arms out, releasing a shock wave of energy that shattered Fenrir's attack.

"Wh-What?!" Fenrir shouted, not understanding what was happening.

Not understanding what was happening himself, DJ didn't answer, instead charging the awestruck Fenrir. With renewed vigor, DJ assaulted Fenrir. Lashing out with an enhanced power-up punch, the orange energy now a practical inferno of power. The attack slammed into Fenrir's jaw with enough force to dislodge a tooth.

Still somewhat startled by DJ's strength increase, he wildly lashed out, managing to make contact with DJ's cheek. DJ pushed through Fenrir's attack and slammed a second power-up punch into Fenrir's gut with enough force to lift the mega evolved Lucario off the ground.

Fenrir gasped as the air in his lungs was forcibly ejected. Before he could even react he was kicked across the face and sent barreling down the hallway.

"What is this power?!" Fenrir demanded, getting to his feet.

In favor of answering, DJ sped towards Fenrir with extreme speed, becoming a literal blur of blue and red. DJ slammed his shoulder into Fenrir, the force of the attack coupled with his momentum allowed DJ to send the larger and altered Lucario sliding down the hallway.

Not letting up, DJ pursued Fenrir, his fists alight with orange energy. Seeing DJ charging towards him, actual panic flashed in Fenrir's eyes. In his panicked state, Fenrir shot a dark pulse at DJ in hopes to push the former human back.

The attack met its mark as it slammed into DJ's chest, however instead of pushing him back the red glow around DJ almost doubled in its intensity and causing the orange energy that surrounded DJ's fist to increase in size and power. DJ continued to run forward straight through Fenrir's attack until he was in front of the Lucario.

Fenrir's eyes widened in horror as he watched the younger Lucario run through his attack and was powerless to stop DJ from slamming his fists into his chest. Screaming in pain, Fenrir was hurled backwards into the hallway, skidding across the ground until he slammed into the opposite wall.

DJ panted tiredly from his spot, his arms still outstretched from punching Fenrir. He slowly lowered his arms, he was tired. He could already feel whatever energy he gained fading, leaving his body weak and sore. A loud groan put DJ on edge. He looked over to where he had sent Fenrir and saw that the altered Pokémon was getting to his feet.

"No...this is...inconceivable!" Fenrir grated out. He stared at DJ with a mix of surprise, disbelief, and rage. His lips pulled into a vicious snarl as he got to his feet. "No this can't be. I won't lose to you!"

"Well, that's ironic," DJ commented, trying to keep the exhaustion out of his voice. "Weren't you just talking about how determination alone won't win battles?"

"RAH!" Fenrir roared in deranged outrage before forming an aura sphere between both his paws. The sphere of energy began to swell as Fenrir pumped more and more power into the attack.

"Crap," DJ muttered as he mimicked Fenrir's action and formed his own aura sphere.

Gritting his teeth, DJ began to sweat as he felt his strength beginning to fade. His aura sphere began to shrink and blink in and out of existence. Seeing this, Fenrir laughed condescendingly.

"What's wrong? Nearing your limit?" Fenrir jeered.

 _No, not yet,_ DJ thought as he struggled to maintain the aura sphere. _I'm not done yet!_

"DIE!" Fenrir screeched, firing his aura sphere.

"I'M NOT DONE!" DJ roared aloud. DJ's aura sphere stabilized before swelling with power. The red energy that surrounded DJ began to leak into the aura sphere, staining the orb red. As the last of the energy was siphoned into the now red orb, DJ launched the attack.

The two attacks met in the center of the hallway. Purple lightening arched from the two opposing attacks, leaving long gashes along the walls. The two attacks battled against the other, continuing the destruction around them. After several seconds, Fenrir's aura sphere started to get pushed back by the red sphere. As the red aura sphere continued to push its blue counterpart back it gave out, allowing the the red aura sphere to speed towards Fenrir.

Fenrir only had time to raise his arms up in a form of defense before the large attack slammed into him.

 **BOOM!**

The attack detonated the second it hit Fenrir, the force behind the explosion causing the hallway to shake and breaking bits off the ceiling and already weakened walls. DJ was forced to shield his eyes as smoke and dust rocketed past him, fueled by the shock wave.

As the smoke began to dissipate, DJ slowly lowered his arms and looked at the spot where Fenrir stood. With the smoke gone, DJ had a clear view of Fenrir plastered in the wall, his eyes rolled back. A bright flash of red engulfed Fenrir's body before it faded along with his mega form. The now normal looking Lucario slowly slid from the wall before falling face first onto the ground. The orange stone that allowed his transformation rolling out of his paw, stopping at DJ's feet.

DJ stooped down and picked up the orange stone, observing it with a critical eye. With a final glance at the still unmoving form of Fenrir, DJ sighed in relief. "It's over."

-Legend-

Back in the arena Team Stardust had gained the upper hand against the rest of the Fighting Syndicate. While the Syndicate's numbers had posed an initial problem for the team, their fighting experience had swiftly turned the tables.

Fenrir had apparently only hired those with either abundant raw power or those that would simply follow his orders without question. However they had little to no teamwork, causing them to step on each other's toes while fighting. They had no hope against a team that was not only strong individually, but also worked flawlessly together.

The Fighting Syndicate didn't stand a chance.

"Phew! What a work out!" Jet said as he knocked out the last of the fighting types.

"Ah, come on. It wasn't that bad," Blitz said with barely concealed fatigue.

"Speak for yourself," Jackson grumbled. "You didn't have a type advantage!"

"Guys, guys, let's not fight," Bertha interjected. "We can all agree on one thing."

"And what is that?" Blade asked skeptically.

"That I knocked out the most!" Bertha said cheekily.

"WHAT?! No you didn't!" Blitz shouted.

"Oh, what do you know, spark plug?" Bertha snapped.

"Enough to know that I took down _way_ more than you!" Blitz rebutted.

"What was that, short stuff?" Bertha asked threateningly.

"You heard me or is your skull on too tight, bonehead?" Blitz shot back.

"Why you little-"

"Knock it off you two!" Asura snapped in irritation.

"Yes, sir!" the two cried fearfully in unison.

"Besides, I knocked out the most," Asura said with a sly smirk.

Before either Blitz or Bertha could offer any sort of comeback, Katara cut in.

"Guys?" she asked. "Where's DJ?"

"Huh?" They all looked around, but saw no sign of their friend.

"Where'd he go?" Blade questioned.

"Fenrir's gone too," Grace commented. "You don't think he tried to run and DJ went after him, do you?"

"That sounds like something Alpha would do," Leaf said dryly.

"If that's the case, what are we standing around here for?" Katara questioned "DJ might need help! We need to-"

 **BOOM!**

A cacophonous explosion ripped through the stadium, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"What the hell was that?!" Blitz cried out as he lost his balance and fell on his rear.

"DJ..." Katara murmured under her breath before taking off down one of the tunnels.

"Katara! Wait!" Asura shouted to no avail as the Frogadier was already gone.

-Legend-

Katara raced down the hallways in search of her missing friend. She was worried that Fenrir would overwhelm his pre-evolution. She knew that DJ was strong, especially with his shining aura, but she was still worried. DJ couldn't control when he used his shining aura, according to him it was random. For all she knew, DJ's shining aura wouldn't come to his aid if Fenrir was about to kill him.

Katara turned another corner she saw the damage from what she could only guess was DJ and Fenrir's fight. Her heart sank at the sheer amount of damage, but kept moving, determined to find her friend. She rounded another corner and saw two Pokémon, one unconscious on the ground and the other standing above them with their back to Katara.

From where she was, she couldn't make out who was on the ground, just that they had blue and black fur. The other, Katara could clearly tell was a Lucario.

Upon seeing the Lucario she immediately assumed that it was Fenrir and that the one on the ground was DJ. Thinking this, she saw red and charged the Lucario, her hands igniting with flying type energy.

"Get away from him!" she screamed, leaping at the Lucario.

The Lucario spun around just in time to catch Katara by the wrists before she could slash at him with her aerial ace attack.

"Ack! Katara, it's me!" the Lucario shouted as he struggled to keep Katara from cutting him.

Recognizing the voice, Katara froze. She slowly raised her head and was met by a familiar set of silvery blue eyes.

"DJ?" she asked hesitantly.

"In the fur," the aura Pokémon said cheekily, releasing his grip on Katara now that she wasn't trying to kill him.

"Oh, thank Arceus," Katara said in relief. "I thought that...that you...you evolved?"

"Yep!" DJ chirped, doing a dramatic spin to showcase his new form, causing Katara to snort in amusement.

"Still the same old DJ," Katara muttered. "When we saw that you and Fenrir weren't in the stadium, we thought that maybe you had..."

"You thought he beat me?" Katara nodded solemnly. "Do you really think so low of me that I would lose to a jerk like that? That hurts!" DJ said as if offended though there was a blatant smile on his face.

Katara rolled her eyes fondly at her friends antics. "That's not what I meant, DJ."

"Hmph!" DJ huffed in faux indignation.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry for doubting you," Katara relented.

"Apology accepted!" DJ said cheerily.

"You really are a kid, you know that right?"

"Nope!"

"Why do I deal with you?"

"Because you love me!" Katara ducked her head as a light blush made its way on her face.

"I do not!" She huffed, turning away from DJ and focusing on Fenrir's unconscious body. "You really did a number on him, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but it was close," DJ said, suddenly serious.

Katara turned back to her friend and took note of all his injuries. Frankly, Katara was surprised that he was still standing. He had cuts and bruises all over his body and looked like feather would knock him over.

"I got the advantage when I evolved in the middle of the battle," DJ continued. "but then he ran to his office and grabbed this weird stone."

"Weird stone?" Katara questioned.

"Yeah, this thing." DJ held out the smooth orange stone for Katara to see. "He called it a mega stone."

"A mega stone? Is it like a water stone?"

"Kind of, when he used it he transformed into some altered Lucario. His power practically skyrocketed and I was on the defensive. He nearly won until I was surrounded by some red aura."

"Red aura?! Was it like your shining aura?! Or your primal aura?!" Katara asked in rapid succession.

"No, no, no, no. It was nothing like that," DJ assured. "It was more like the power boost I get for using power-up punch over and over again."

"So an attack boost. That good," Katara sighed in relief. "I thought we were going to have to deal with another form."

"No such luck," DJ snickered. "Though speaking of transformations..." DJ held up the orange stone. "Maybe there is another form..."

Katara gave DJ a curious look at that. She opened her mouth to say something, but Asura's voice cut through the hallway.

"DJ! Katara!" he called. "Where are you guys?!"

"We're over here!" DJ called back. He took one last look at Fenrir. Seeing that he was still out, DJ looked to Katara. "Let's go, he's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Yeah," Katara agreed. "The other's will want to here about your fight with Fenrir and this _mega stone_."

DJ nodded his head in affirmation before looking at the stone in his paw, curious of what the little orange rock was capable of.

 **Author's Note:**

Hey guys, AuraFighter here. I know there has been some concern over me having DJ evolve so early on in the story. All I can say is that he will need it for what is to come. Hehehe. Anyway, keep leaving reviews on what you think of the story. See you all next time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Secrets of Mega Evolution

"I thank you again for your assistance in defeating the Fighting Syndicate," Officer Magnezone droned. Despite his robotic voice, he was genuinely thankful for the young team's assistance. After years of being unable to find anything incriminating on the Lucario, he was elated to have the mob boss in custody.

"We were just doing our duty," Asura assured. "There is no need to thank us."

"Even so, I will send a substantial reward to your guild," he insisted.

"That is not-"

"Well if you insist!" Blitz said, cutting of the Medicham mid-sentence.

"It will be done. Again, thank you for your assistance." With that, Magnezone left, the entire Fighting Syndicate as well as Fenrir in his custody.

"What the hell, Blitz?!" Asura said, smacking the Pikachu across the back of his head.

"OW! Hey, what was that for!" Blitz whined, holding his head.

"Why'd you say that?!" Asura demanded

"What? We went through all that, so we should get a reward!"

"Greedy mouse," Drake commented wryly.

"HEY!"

"Anyway," Grace interjected, giving the Pikachu a rather cross look. "I think we should discuss what occurred during DJ's fight with Fenrir." She turned to the newly minted Lucario with a serious expression. "What happened once you chased him to his office."

"Well, I had him on the ropes after evolving," DJ began. "I thought he was trying to get away, but he was actually running to his office. When he got there, he pulled out an orange stone and then he changed."

"Changed?" Blade asked.

"It was like he evolved again," DJ explained. "He looked like a Lucario, but he seemed like an almost mutant version of it. Then when I beat him, he changed back."

"He changed back?" Jet asked in surprise. "But evolution is a permanent change!"

"I know, that's the weird thing," DJ responded. "When he changed back, the stone reappeared as well. He called it...mega evolution."

"The stone came back? " Blitz asked.

"Normally when a stone is used, it disappears," Jackson said.

"Hmm...DJ. Do you have the stone now?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, it's right here." DJ pulled out the stone and handed it to the shiny Mawile.

"I've never seen anything like this," she said, inspecting the stone. "And this caused Fenrir's change?"

"Yeah, it also made him really strong. I could barely keep up with him. The only reason I won is because I got a strength boost midway through the fight."

"A strength boost?" Grace asked sharply, casting a furtive glance to Asura.

"Yeah it happened when he hit me with a dark pulse," DJ said, missing the relieved looks that flashed across the two senior member's faces.

"Oh, that was Justified," Asura said.

"What's justified?"

"No, not justified. Justified is a rare ability that Lucario can have," Asura explained. "When a Pokémon with the Justified ability is hit by a dark type move their attack increases."

"Huh, remind me never to get on your bad side, DJ," Jackson half-joked.

"Wow, DJ. You're just full of surprises," Jet commented dryly.

"What can I say, I'm just awesome like that." DJ said cheekily.

"I see evolving hasn't changed your modesty," Katara drawled, rolling her eyes fondly at the Lucario.

"Hey!"

"Getting back on topic!" Asura snapped. "We need to get more information on this 'mega evolution'. If other Pokémon can harness this power, than maybe we can too."

"That would be awesome," Blitz said literally drooling at the thought of being able to mega evolve.

"You'd still need to evolve again before you even think of going further," Bertha pointed out, breaking Blitz from his thoughts.

"Hey, shut up! It's not my fault thunderstones are so rare!"

"They have a shop dedicated to selling evolution stones in town," Bertha deadpanned.

"Yeah, but those are expensive," Blitz huffed.

"Perhaps your father would know something about mega evolution," Leaf suggested, ignoring his two bickering duo.

"You could be on to something. If anyone knows anything about mega evolution, then my dad would," Asura agreed. "We'll be sure to ask him when we head back."

"But first..." Asura gave Jet a curious look.

"But first what?"

"PARTY!" Jet, Blitz, and Bertha shouted in unison.

"You three are party obsessed," Blade said, rolling his eyes.

"If partying is wrong, I don't want to be right!" Jet exclaimed. "Besides, we need to celebrate our teammates evolution!"

"You guys don't need to do that," DJ said sheepishly.

"Oh, no. You were all conceited a second ago, you can't get cold feet now!" Before DJ could react, he found himself slung over the Floatzel's shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!" DJ cried, struggling futilely against Jet's grip.

"Nope, you're partying and that's that!"

"Best do what he says," Asura sighed. "He can be rather stubborn when it comes to party."

"Fine, just put me down!" DJ relented.

"Nope!" Jet said cheerfully, not even pausing in his stride. "We're celebrating!"

"Arceus dammit, Jet!" DJ shouted, causing the rest of the team to laugh loudly.

-Legend-

"I'm surprised that you are here so late," Tobias admonished, though there was mirth in his voice. "Normally you have a habit of returning after you complete your mission."

"Sorry, sir. Jet insisted that we have a party," Asura said exasperatedly.

"Ah, I see," the Gallade said in understanding.

"Hey, it wasn't just me, you all had fun too!" Jet said defensively.

"After you dragged us, or in DJ's case, carried us off," Jackson reminded him.

"It was a party! You can't have a party without Pokémon there!"

"I may not no a lot about parties, but I am fairly certain that they do not last for two days straight," Leaf said.

"You still had fun," he said childishly.

Tobias chuckled good-naturedly at his son's team. "Relax, I'm not upset, though I think two days s a little much."

"Oh." Jet flushed in embarrassment.

"Officer Magnezone left a reward for your team," Tobias said, switching the subject. "You all must have really impressed him."

"We try," Blitz said haughtily, earning a smack from Bertha.

"Down boy," she admonished, smirking at Blitz's scowl.

"Yes, well allow me to be the first to congratulate you all on a job well done. I knew I made the right choice in promoting your team," Tobias said proudly, causing the entire team to beam at him. "And a special congratulations to you, DJ, for you evolution. I'm sure Alistair will love to see the new you."

"Thank you, sir,"DJ said with a grin.

"Speaking of evolution, we have a question for you," Asura said.

"Oh, and what is that?" Tobias asked with a raised eyebrow.

"DJ," Asura said, signaling for the Lucario to explain. With a nod, DJ launched into an explanation of the orange stone and how it caused the change in Fenrir.

"...and he called it mega evolution," DJ finished.

"I see. So he could use mega evolution," Tobias said somberly.

"You know what it is?" Asura questioned.

"Mm," he hummed in confirmation. "Mega evolution is a new type of evolution that was recently discovered. It allows certain Pokémon that have reached the peak of their evolution line to go a step further."

"I guess that's why we haven't heard of it, we've hardly been around to hear any new news," Asura reasoned.

"Might I see the stone?" Tobias asked.

DJ nodded and handed the stone over for the Gallade to inspect.

"Yes, this is indeed a lucarionite."

"A lucarionite? Is that what it's called?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Tobias confirmed. "Like the name suggests, this stone is for Lucario. With it, they gain the ability to mega evolve."

"So only DJ would be able to mega evolve," Blitz said, his ears drooping as his dreams of mega evolving were crushed.

"Yes and no," Tobias said. "Yes, only DJ can use this stone, but he's not the only Pokémon that can mega evolve."

"Huh?" Katara asked.

"There are multiple mega stones out there, each one allowing a different Pokémon to mega evolve," Tobias explained.

"So I could still be able to mega evolve?" Blitz asked excitedly.

"No," Tobias said bluntly. "To the best of my knowledge, there is not mega stone for Raichu or Pikachu."

"Awww," Blitz lamented.

"What about me?" Jackson asked.

"No, no mega stone for Umbreon or any other Eveelutions has been found either."

"Has been found," Jackson repeated. "So there could still be mega stones that haven't been discovered yet!"

"Yes...there could still be some undiscovered mega stones out there, I'll give you that," Tobias conceded. "but the chances of their being one for an Umbreon are..."

"Don't tell me the odds. As the moon as my witness, I shall discover the umbreonite!" Jackson exclaimed causing sweat-drops to form on the back of all but one of their heads.

"...But it is daylight out," Leaf said uncomprehendingly.

"Best to no question it," DJ said with a defeated sigh. Leaf gave him a curious look, but thankfully, he let the matter drop.

"So what mega stones are there?" Bertha asked.

"I'm not sure exactly there are, but the ones that I personally know exist for certain are the mega stones for Medicham, Lucario, Garchomp, and even one for Gardrvoir and Gallade," Tobias listed, handing back the orange stone to DJ. "If you want to know of all of the others, then I recommend heading over to Carbink's Stone Emporium. They will most likely know of the other stones."

"Do you know how to _activate_ a mega stone," DJ asked curiously. _If I could learn to mega evolve like Fenrir did, I would be able to take on stronger Pokémon! Pokémon like..._ An image of a certain nightmare causing Pokémon flashed through DJ's mind. _Him..._

"I'm afraid I do not," Tobias confessed.

"Oh," DJ said depressedly, gazing wistfully at the stone.

"Though perhaps Alistair can assist you in that regard," Tobias added.

"Gramps?" DJ questioned.

"Yes, 'Gramps'," he said, barely concealing his amusement over his teammate's name. "From what I understand, the stones require you to become in sync with the stone's natural energy. A Lucario would probably be the best at determining how that is done."

"That makes since," Katara said.

"Then we'll go ask Gramps!" DJ shouted.

"You go ahead and go, we want to head over to Carbink's," Grace said, receiving nods from everyone but Leaf and Katara.

"Okay, we'll meet back at the guild house, then," Katara said.

"Sounds good," Asura said in affirmation. With that the team left, leaving Tobias alone in his office. Said Gallade looked at his now empty office and shook his head fondly.

"Oh, to be young again," he sighed. He then pushed back from his desk and opened a drawer. He withdrew a smooth, round, white stone with a green and pink symbol in the center. "Something tells me that these are going to play a big role in what is to come."

-Legend-

All of Team Stardust save DJ, Katara, and Leaf stood in front Carbink's Stone Emporium. The store was rather eye-catching to say the least. The shop was relatively small, only being a single floor, but it possessed a large colorful sign that drew the attention of anyone that walked by. The large glass windows offered a view of the glass cases that held all of the stones and other precious minerals.

"After all these years of living here, I never once stepped foot in this shop," Asura confessed, gazing at the store in barely concealed awe.

"It truly is a beautiful store," Grace commented, a hint of longing in her voice.

"Hey guys! Look at this!" Blitz called, his face practically pressed up against the glass. "I think they have mega stones in here!"

Moving to Blitz's side they peered through the glass. True to the electric mouse's words, resting atop of a large velvet pillow sat thirteen large marble-like stones, all of various colors. Looking closer, they could see the strange mark that was present in the center of DJ's lucarionite.

"It looks like you're right, Blitz," Jackson said.

Jet walked over to the door and opened it. "Well? Shall we?" he asked rhetorically, holding the door open for his teammate. Rolling there eyes at their teammates antics, the team makes their way inside the lavish store.

"Hello! Hello!" an excited voice sang the moment they entered. A Pokémon floated over to them, happiness lighting its blue eyes. The Pokémon resembled a limbless gray stone with blue crystals protruding around its body and two stone rabbit ears. A white fluffy collar separated its head from its body.

"I'm Carbink!" the Pokémon said excitedly. "Do you need help finding anything today?"

"We're actually here to ask you about mega stones," Asura said.

"Oh." Carbink seemed to deflate slightly over them not being there to purchase anything, but quickly regained his prior enthusiasm. "No problem! Follow me!" Carbink lead them over to the display they had saw through the window.

"These...are mega stones," Carbink said dramatically. "At least the ones that I have in my possession. Each mega stone allows a certain Pokémon to mega evolve. To my knowledge, there are forty-four mega stones in total."

"Only forty-four?" Asura asked. "That's not even one percent of the total number of Pokémon species! Why can only those few Pokémon mega evolve."

"Because those are the ones that have been found," Carbink answered nonchalantly.

"How long ago were they discovered," Grace asked, cutting off Asura before he could snap at the jewel Pokémon.

"They were actually discovered several years ago," Carbink said excitedly. "It wasn't until recently that their true ability was discovered."

"What do you mean by that?" Bertha asked.

"Well, when the stones were first discovered, scientists didn't know what to make of them," the store owner explained. "They possessed a similar energy to other evolutionary stones, but they could not get the stones to react."

"Then how'd they discover mega evolution?" Blade asked curiously.

"It was an accident really," Carbink chuckled. "As they were studying one of the stones, a scientists that happened to be compatible with that particular stone accidentally bumped into it, triggering what we now know as mega evolution."

"Fascinating," Grace said, completely enthralled with the stones, particularly a pink stone with a yellow and black symbol in the center.

"You've got a good eye, little missy," Carbink said, looking over Grace's shoulder at the pink stone. "That right there is a mawilite, the stone that allows your species to mega evolve."

"Really?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Yep!"

"Wow," Grace said dreamily, thinking at the prospect over mega evolving. Her species didn't evolve naturally and the prospect of evolving was very appealing to her.

"You said that there are forty-four mega stones?" Blitz interrupted.

"Yes I did," Carbink answered patiently.

"Then is there a raichuite?" he asked hopefully.

"No, we have not found a mega stone for Raichu."

"Damn."

"I do have a list of all the mega stones that have been discovered. Hold on a sec..." Carbink floated behind the display case. His eyes flashed a bright blue and a small blue pamphlet floated out from behind the counter and towards Asura. "Here you go."

The team poured over the pamphlet, flipping through the pages to see all of the stones and how they changed the Pokémon.

"Oh, come on!" Blitz exclaimed. "There's a mega stone for Slowbro, but not one for Raichu?! That's not fair!"

"Oh, wah, wah, wah!" Bertha mocked. "I don't have a mega stone and you don't see me whining about it!"

"It looks like _I_ have a mega evolution," Blade commented smugly, infuriating the Pikachu. Blitz opened his mouth, a sharp barb on his tongue, but Asura cut him off.

"Not now, Blitz," the Medicham admonished. He turned his attention back to the rock-fairy type. "Earlier, you said that 'we' hadn't found a mega stone for Raichu."

"I did."

"Does that mean that you were involved in the initial discovering of the mega stones?"

Instead of responding, Carbink smirked -or did the equivalent of a smirk as Carbink had no mouth- mischievously.

"You mean _you_ were one of the scientists that first discovered the stones?!" Jet asked in disbelief.

"That is correct," Carbink said cheerfully.

"Then that just leaves one question," Grace said.

"And what would that be?" Carbink asked.

Grace smirked. "How much for the mawilite?"

-Legend-

While the majority of the team talked with Carbink, the remaining three made their way to the training fields, hoping to catch Alistair during his daily training regimen. As luck would have it, they managed to catch the Lucario just as he was leaving.

"Gramps!" DJ called, running up to the elder Lucario.

Alistair frowned at the approaching Lucario in confusion before his eyes widened in sudden recognition. "DJ? Is that you?"

"In the fur!" the former human said with a large grin.

"You've evolved!" he exclaimed. "Good for you, Pup!"

DJ pouted childishly at that name. "How long are you going to call me Pup?"

"How long are you going to call me Gramps?" Alistair countered with a smirk.

"Touché," DJ said with a smirk of his own.

"Leaf, Katara! It's good to see you two," Alistair said, seeing the other two approach.

"It is good to see you too, Alistair," Leaf said respectively, giving the Lucario a small bow.

"Ever the formal type I see." Alistair chuckled at the small blush that colored the Grovyle's cheeks. "So, what brings you three here, today?"

"Well, partially to show off my evolution" - DJ did an exaggerated spin, causing Alistair to chuckle- "but also for information."

"Information about what?" Alistair asked.

"About this," DJ said, pulling out the lucarionite.

Seeing the orange stone in the Lucario's paw, his eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

"So you know what it is," Katara observed.

"Yes," Alistair whispered, taking the stone into his paws and examining it with a critical eye. "A lucarionite. Where did you get this?"

"I took it from Fenrir after I beat him." Alistair's eyes snapped towards DJ.

"Fenrir? As in the leader of the Fighting Syndicate?"

"Former leader," Katara said smugly. "He and his fighting types are currently behind bars."

"So that's where you all were," Alistair said in understanding.

"Yeah, he used mega evolution against me and I barely won," DJ stated with a contemplative frown marring his face. "I figured that if I learned how to mega evolve as well, I could take on stronger foes. Foes like..."

Alistair gained a look of understanding. "I see, your fight with Darkrai still plagues your mind." DJ bowed his head, not willing to look his mentor in the eye. "As I told you before. You cannot win every battle. All you can do is take those losses and learn from them as to not repeat the same mistakes."

DJ nodded his head, but still refused to look up. Suddenly a flash of red light crept into DJ's vision, forcing him to shield his eyes. When the light faded, in Alistair's place was an almost exact copy of the form Fenrir took when he fought him. The only differences being the slightly gray fur and lack of scar.

"You mega evolved," DJ said in awe.

"Whoa," Katara gasped. " _That's_ what mega evolution looks like?"

"For Lucario anyway," Alistair stated, flexing his fingers.

"That form..." Leaf began. "it is powerful."

"Quite," Alistair said wryly.

"How?" The mega Lucario turned his attention to the younger. "How'd you mega evolve?"

"From what I have been told, you must match your aura with the energy that dwells within the mega stone. The stone's aura, if you will," Alistair lectured. "For Lucario it is easier yet harder for them to achieve this harmony."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, unlike the other mega stones, the aura within a lucarionite is more complex. It is constantly shifting as if it were alive, making it difficult to match. While other Pokémon do not have the aura sensing ability that we Lucario have, they must hold onto the stones for an extended period of time in order to gain a feel for the aura within the stone. Over time, they will be able to sense the stone's aura and be able to match it. After the initial match, it becomes child's play to switch between forms. Lucario, however, are a different case entirely.

"Because the aura within a Lucario's mega stone is so complex, a Lucario is forced to find the right frequency, so to speak, in order to be able to match its aura. To do this, a Lucario must use their aura sensing ability to be able to match the lucarionite and like the others, once you do this, you will have no problem mega evolving at will." Alistair was then engulfed in red light as he changed back to his original form. He handed the stone back to DJ and regarded him seriously.

"Now that you have evolved, you aura sense has changed as well. It will take some time for you to get a handle it and when you do, connecting to that stone will be a lot easier."

"I see..." DJ stared at the sphere pensively.

-Legend-

A couplel hours later, DJ, Katara, and Leaf entered their guild house, their talk with Alistair still reeling in their minds.

"We're back!" Katara called.

"We can see that," Asura said dryly.

"So, what'd you find out?" Jet asked excitedly.

"We learned how to activate mega stones," Katara answered.

"Oh? Do tell," Grace implored.

"Turns out that in order to activate mega evolution, you have to sync up with the stone," Katara said, sitting down.

"What do you mean by that?" Blade asked.

"You have to feel the aura of the stone," DJ answered before Katara could. "You have to match your own aura with that of the stone in order to trigger its power."

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but, unlike you, the rest of us can't see aura," Blitz huffed, still miffed about not being able to mega evolve.

"Gramps said that for you have just have to hold onto the stone for a while until you can feel the stone's aura," DJ said with a shrug, sitting next to Katara, staring at the lucarionite with a frown.

"Hmm, so I'll just have to wear this for a while," Grace said, fingering the scrunchy that she had on the stem of her jaws.

With looks of confusion, the trio looked at the scrunchy and saw a pink stone embedded in the center.

"Is that...?" Katara asked.

"A mawilite," Grace confirmed proudly. "I picked it up at the emporium."

"So you can mega evolve, too," DJ said.

"Yep," she said cheerfully. "Out of all of us, only you, Asura, Drake, Blade, Leaf, and I can mega evolve."

Leaf's eyes widened in surprise. "I am able to mega evolve?"

"Uh huh. Sceptile are able to mega evolve," she confirmed.

"That is...nice...to know," Leaf said, flabbergasted.

"Lucky," Blitz grumbled.

"Do not be disheartened, Blitz," Jackson consoled. "Like Carbink said, there could still be other mega stones out there. You can join me in my search to find the umbreonite! The moon shall guide us!"

"No, I think I'm good," Blitz said with a sweat-drop.

"Suit yourself," Jackson said with a shrug.

"So what do we do now?" DJ asked. "Look for other mega stones?"

"For now, we go about business as usual," Asura answered. "We can get mega stones should the opportunity present itself, but the mission comes first."

"Yes, sir!" the team chorused.

It was then that a knock could be heard from their door.

"Who could that be?" Grace asked.

"One way to find out," Asura said, getting to his feet. He and the rest of the team made their way to the door and cautiously opened it. Standing there were three ragged looking Pokémon, all of them being quadrupeds.

The one in the center was a primarily green antelope-like Pokémon with two curled horns on the side of its head. It had a long creamy neck and underbelly and legs. Its feet were reminiscent of knee-high boots with pink highlights and pink tipped leaves on either side of its neck. It had a long black spot that ran from its nose to the back of its head. Overall, it had a very feminine figure.

Unlike the previous Pokémon, the Pokémon on the left had a much more rugged appearance. They had a more bovine-like body with two large bull horns on the sides of its head. Its body was primarily gray with a beige underbelly, and face. Two orange protrusions poked out of its shoulders along with beige bands that wrapped around its hoofed feet. It had several short spikes that surrounded a black spot that mirrored the one on its companion. It possessed piercing orange eyes that glared sharply at the team.

The final Pokémon was significantly shorter than the other two. It was horse-like with a cream colored body. It had a large and round snout with two large nostrils. It had a small, slightly curved, cream colored horn with a dark blue eyebrow-like ridges that surrounded its head. It had long orange mane and a light blue tail with white spots. Around its neck was a fluffy blue collar, the same color as its tail. Its hooves were a dark blue.

"Please," the green Pokémon pleaded, their voice noticeably feminine tone. "Please, help us."

 **Author's Notes:**

Okay, before you all go off on me for saying that there are only forty-four mega stones, I am aware that there are more. I have a reason for not including the other four and it will be explained in chapters to come. Thank you all for your continued support and feel free to leave a review. I do read them, even if I don't respond to them, and I take any criticisms or suggestions to heart.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The Wayward Sword

Team Stardust quickly ushered the trio into their guild house. The trio was currently resting in the lounge as Grace bustled around, tending to the group's many injuries.

"We cannot thank you enough," the green Pokémon said graciously.

"Think nothing of it," Grace said, waving off her thanks.

"Even so, you did not have to help us, so I am grateful for you," she said giving the shiny Mawile a small bow. The bulkier of the trio scoffed at the female.

"Jeez, Virizion. Do you have to act like royalty everywhere we go?" The green one swung around and glared at snarky Pokémon.

"At least _try_ to act grateful, Terrakion!" she sniped. "They took us in out of the goodness of their hearts. The least we can do is be respectful Just what kind of message are you trying to teach Keldeo?!"

"You know I'm right here, right?" the final member, who was noticeable younger than the other two, said. Unfortunately, it appeared the the duo either didn't hear him or were ignoring him.

"The kid's old enough to make his own decisions," the older male said gruffly.

"That is not the point!" the female snapped. "The point is if you keep acting like that, he will start to emulate you!"

"And what's wrong with that?!"

"Well I would prefer to have another sophisticated member of our group and not another neanderthal."

"Hey! Who're you called a neanderthal?!"

"I wonder," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Why you..." The male made to get up, but a tremor of pain shot through his body.

"Please, don't get up!" Grace cried in shock, rushing over to the large Pokémon. "You're still healing. Any movement could reopen your wounds."

"Alright, alright," he relented, settling back down with a barely contained wince.

"See, there you go again!" the green Pokémon chastised. "Always going off half-cocked and getting yourself hurt!" Despite her diatribe, concern could be heard in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, turning his head away from the scolding look of the one female of the group.

"Um, not to interrupt, but could you tell us who you three are and why you came here?" Asura asked.

"Oh, where are my manners?" She sat up a little straighter as she addressed the exploration team. "My name is Virizion and these are my compatriots, Terrakion and Keldeo and we are the Swords of Justice," she said as she pointed her head to the older male and the younger male respectively.

"Hey, nice ta' meet ya'!" Keldeo chirped excitedly.

"Hmph," Terrakion grunted, earning a scowl from Virizion.

"Terrakion, show some manners!" The cavern Pokémon rolled his eyes.

"Wait, _your_ the Swords of Justice?!" Jackson asked in disbelief.

"Aye," Terrakion answered. "That'd be us."

"Oh my Arceus!" Katara all but squealed. "I can't believe this! I'm meeting the Swords of Justice!"

"Who're the Swords of Justice?" DJ asked.

"What?!" Katara shouted incredulously. "How do you _not_ know about them?! Didn't you ever read story books about them when you were a kid?"

DJ's response was a blank look.

"Oh...right," Katara said sheepishly when she realized just who she was talking to.

"The Swords of Justice are a group of four legendaries that go around protecting Pokémon everywhere," Grace explained.

"Wait, they're legendaries?!" DJ asked in shock.

"Yep! They're like an exploration team except with legendaries!" Katara said in full fangirl mode. "There's the elegant Virizion who dances around her foes in a deadly dance of swords, then there's Terrakion, the muscle of the group, so strong that he can bring down mountains with a single sword swing, next there's Cobalion, their fearless leader with a body of steel and a heart to match it, and finally, there's Keldeo, the youngest of the group who is training under the three to become their successor!"

"Looks like we've got a fan," Terrakion said in amusement, causing the Frogadier to blush brightly.

"You guys have always been an inspiration for me," Katara confessed. "Hearing stories of your guys' exploits made me want to join an exploration team."

"Well, I am glad that we were able to inspire you," Virizion said kindly.

"Wait, you said that there was another member, right? So where are they?" DJ asked.

Immediately upon asking this, they friendly atmosphere evaporated. The trio all looked down at the floor, their expressions becoming closed off.

"Something...something happened to Cobalion," Virizion finally said. "One moment he was fine, then the next he...changed."

"Changed how?" Asura asked.

"He became...dark," Virizion answered.

"Dark?" Leaf questioned. "You mean like a dark type?"

"No, that's not it," Terrakion said. "We mean that he _literally_ turned dark. His fur turned a dark indigo and his eyes became red like rubies."

The entirety of Team Stardust glanced at each other at the familiar sounding event.

"What happened after that?" Blade asked tentatively.

"His personality changed," Virizion said. "He became angry and began to lash out randomly, attacking all those in his way. Shortly after that he..." Virizion choked up at this and couldn't continue.

"He began attacking innocent Pokémon," Keldeo finished, nuzzling Virizion in an attempt to calm her down.

"He what?" Katara asked in horror.

"What? Are you deaf?!" Terrakion said angrily. "He began attacking innocents!"

"Calm down, Terrakion," Virizion chided, finally getting control of herself.

"B-But why would he do that?" Katara asked, not believing what she was hearing. "He's supposed to protect Pokémon, not hurt them!"

"We don't know. If we knew we wouldn't be here now would we?" Terrakion growled, getting a chastising look from his female compatriot.

"We tried to stop him, but he was too much for us," Keldeo said sadly. "He knew all of our moves and trounced us."

"We do not know what to do, which is why we came here," the grassland Pokémon confessed.

"But why us?" Jet asked. "Why'd you come to us for help?"

"Because we heard that it was you guys that stopped the dark wells," Keldeo jumped in, not noticing Terrakion's scowl. "We thought that you'd guys be able to help!"

"Way to be subtle, Keldeo," Terrakion grunted, causing the colt Pokémon to blush.

"This is exactly what I was talking about. He gets it from you!" Virizion snapped at Terrakion. The rock-fighting type opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Asura.

"I think we can help you," he said, earning the trio's attention. "If what you described is correct, then we may have encountered another Pokémon that showed similar tendencies. Darkrai."

"Darkrai!" Virizion exclaimed. "This happened to Darkrai as well?!"

"I believe so," Asura said grimly. "He attacked an island and trapped many Pokémon in nightmares, including myself and several members of my team. The remaining members of the team went after Darkrai and beat him in combat. After that, whatever was effecting Darkrai was reversed."

"So if we beat Cobalion, then he'd turn back to normal?" Keldeo asked hopefully.

"Possibly," Asura said. "I don't pretend to be an expert on this, but if what happened to him is what happened to Darkrai, then it would be safe to assume the same will happen."

"Then will you help us?" Virizion asked desperately. "Please, help us bring our friend back to us."

Asura hummed pensively. "Where is he currently?"

"Last time we faced him, he was attacking Stoneford, a town just north of here," Terrakion answered.

"That's not far from here," Graced said. "Maybe a days travel at most."

"That is pretty close to Miracle Town. He could be moving here," Drake pointed out.

"We'll help you," Asura said, getting grateful smiles from the trio, though Terrakion tired to hide his.

"Yes! We get another chance to go up against a legendary!" Blitz said excitedly. "I can't wait!"

"Not all of us will be going," Asura said bluntly.

"What?! Why?!" Blitz demanded.

"Because we still have an exploration team to run and we wouldn't be doing our job if we just up and left," Asura explained.

"So who all will be going?" Jackson asked.

"We're only going to take those that have a type advantage against Cobalion, so it will be DJ, Drake, Bertha, and I going."

"Ha, ha!" Bertha taunted the electric mouse.

"Lucky," he huffed.

"Only four?" Grace asked worriedly. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"We'll be fine," Asura reassured her. "We'll also have three out of the four Swords of Justice with us."

"Fine," she sighed in defeat.

"We will help you any way we can," Virizion said gratefully.

"Awesome, I get to fight another legendary!" DJ shouted in excitement.

"Leave it to a fighting type to be this pumped over a fight," Jackson sighed before he realized who was in the room. "Not that all fighting types are like that!" he added hastily.

"No offense taken," Virizion chuckled.

"Some taken," Terrakion grunted jokingly.

"I wish I could go," Katara said morosely.

"Maybe next time," DJ said reassuringly.

"All of you rest up!" Asura called. "We're heading out at dawn!"

"Why is it always dawn," DJ wondered as he headed to his room.

-Legend-

The group of seven woke up early the next morning and left for Stoneford. As Grace had said, the trek through the forest took a little less than a day before the group made it to a large hill that overlooked Stoneford.

Stoneford was a relatively plain looking town, especially when compared to Miracle Town. It had dirt roads that crisscrossed through the town, leading to various buildings. The homes all resembled huts, though a lot more sophisticated. While made of wood, the buildings were built durably with thick planks of woods that served as support beams. There were also a couple larger buildings, including one building with a large domed roof with a needle-like point, that utilized brick in their design, having stone foundations and walls to make them sturdier.

A ways away from the buildings were a series of cultivated land with small sprigs of some kind of plant poking out of the ground. Even from where they were, the group could see that the land looked dried out from lack of water. Further past the town was a small mountain.

"This is Stoneford?" DJ questioned. "It's..."

"Plain?" Asura supplied.

"Yeah."

"Well Stoneford isn't on the same level of Miracle Town."

"Even so, this place is a lot less lively than it was before," Virizion said worriedly.

"You don't think Cobalion...?" Keldeo asked, not needing to finish his question.

"No, even in his dark state he would never do such a thing!" Virizion said vehemently. "Right?" she asked uncertainly.

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Terrakion assured. "Cobalion's always been a Pokémon of honor and even if he's all evil now, he'd never kill!"

"Then where is everyone?" Drake's question was met with silence.

"Let's head down there," Bertha said. "We won't know what happened unless we do."

-Legend-

The group was horrified by what they saw when they entered the town. Several of the homes had caved in roofs with streamline gashes littering the walls. The same slash marks were carved into the stone work of the other buildings. Windows were shattered, shops stalls were smashed into splinters, flower were trampled and strewn across the road. It was horrible.

"What happened here?" Bertha asked, horrified.

"Cobalion," Virizion whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Cobalion did this?" DJ asked in a mixture of awe and horror.

"I would recognize these slash marks anywhere. These were made by Cobalion's blade."

"It's hard to believe someone as calm and mellow as Cobalion being responsible for this kind of destruction," Terrakion muttered.

"But we'll make him better, right?" Keldeo asked, his eyes sparkling with innocence.

"Yeah, we'll make him better," Terrakion reassured the young colt, throwing a furtive glance towards the others.

"Yeah, we'll definitely save Cobalion!" DJ said confidently. Keldeo smiled gratefully at the Lucario.

"This place gives me the creeps," Bertha shivered. "It's like a ghost town!"

"Maybe we should try and find someone to question," Drake suggested.

"I'll try and find someone," DJ said before closing his eyes and activating his aura sight. He winced at his new sensitively. It felt like staring at the sun. Everything was overly bright and hard to focus on. He actually had to turn off his vision before tentatively activating it again. When he did he saw that there was a mass of Pokémon held up in the large building with the slightly cracked dome roof.

"There's a lot of Pokémon in that building," he said, pointing out the building.

"There's also three behind us," Keldeo said. They all spun around and saw a Rhyperior, Exploud, and a Pangoro growling threateningly at them.

"You shouldn't have come here," the Pangoro growled. "Not after what your friend did!"

"We're going to make you pay!" the Rhyperior added menacingly.

"DJ, what the hell?! Why didn't you mention these guys?!" Asura whispered harshly.

"I didn't see them," DJ gritted out. "I'm still getting used to my increased sensitivity to aura!"

"Please, we do not want to fight," Virizion called out to the trio. "We only want to-"

"ENOUGH TALK!" the Exploud roared. "YOU AND YOUR COHORT TRASHED OUR TOWN, SO WE'LL DO THE SAME TO YOU!" Without warning he released a large blast of sound that vibrated the air in front of him, sending a blaring sound wave at the group. Caught off guard, the group was buffeted by a deafening shout that caused them all to cringe in pain.

The Rhyperior then held up his hands, forming a large boulder from the small holes on his palms. With a roar, he fired the boulder at the group.

Clutching his ears in pain, DJ managed to crack open an eye and see the encroaching boulder. Thinking quickly, he formed an aura sphere with one paw and fired it at the boulder. The two attacks met in the middle and exploded, the shock wave disrupting the Exploud's hyper voice attack.

With the screeching sound gone, Team Stardust leapt into action. Asura charged the Exploud, kicking the purple Pokémon away from the other three before chasing him down. Both Bertha and Drake simultaneously attacked the Rhyperior and when the Pangoro attempted to assist his two cohorts he was met with a rather irritated Lucario.

The daunting Pokémon attempted an arm thrust, but DJ lithely ducked under the attack and struck the larger Pokémon in the stomach with a power-up punch. The Pangoro gasped in pain and was unprepared for a swift kick to his temple. He staggered back in pain and tried to attack DJ again, only to hit nothing but air. Before the dark-fighting type could react, he was hit by another power-up punch, this time from behind.

Losing his balance, the Pangoro fell face first onto ground. DJ stood over the large Pokémon and glared.

"Give up!" he said. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you keep this up, I won't hold back!"

"Never!" With surprising speed, the Pangoro rolled onto his back and fired a dark pulse at the Lucario. The dark type blast slammed into DJ's gut and sent him flying.

DJ landed on his spryly onto his feet, glaring at the now standing Pangoro. Said Pokémon grinned, thinking that he had injured the aura Pokémon only to frown when a red aura enveloped the jackal.

"Bad move," DJ growled before speeding towards the Pokémon with extreme speed.

The Pangoro's eyes widened as the Lucario seemingly appeared before him. He raised his arms to defend himself, but before he could he was sent hurtling backwards through the air. Opening an eye, the Pangoro saw DJ running towards him, keeping up with his flight with extreme speed. Speeding up, DJ ran past the Pangoro and stopped directly in the Pokémon's flight path. Bracing himself, DJ cocked back his fist before punching the flying bear with a power-up punch.

DJ was pushed back a few feet before he was able to muster enough strength to send the daunting Pokémon flying back in the opposite direction. The Pangoro roared in pain before slamming into the ground and skidding a few extra feet. Groaning, he rolled onto his back only to see an aura sphere and inch from his face.

"Don't move," DJ warned in a no nonsense tone.

"Damn you," the Pangoro growled defiantly.

"ENOUGH!" a new voice rang out.

Chancing a glance, DJ saw that the speaker was an elderly female Absol. Flanking her were several other Pokémon, small children partially hidden behind the elders.

"Elder Constancia!" the Pangoro said in surprise. "You shouldn't be out here! It's-"

"If you say that it is dangerous then you are an even bigger fool than I thought," she said sharply, her red eyes narrowed at the Pangoro.

"B-But elder! These Pokémon attacked us and-"

"As I recall, you _three_ attacked first. _They_ said that they did not want to fight." The Pangoro opened and closed his mouth, unable to make a sound. The Absol then turned to DJ, her eyes losing their previous sharpness. "I apologize for these three's actions. If you would let them go we can talk civilly."

DJ eyed her suspiciously. Discreetly activating his emotion sense, a skill that thankfully wasn't affected by his evolution, DJ read the Absol's aura to see if she was truly genuine. Seeing that she truly did not want to fight, DJ allowed his aura sphere to dissipate and stepped away from the Pangoro, allowing the dark-fighting type to get to his feet. Looking around, he saw that the Rhyperior and the Exploud were in similar situations as the Pangoro had been in.

"Thank you," Constancia said with a bow of her head. "Again, I must apologize for these three's brazen actions, but you must understand that we have been attacked for three days. Everyone here is on edge."

"Cobalion," Bertha realized.

"Indeed," the elder confirmed. "He attacked us out of the blue without warning. The only thing that saved us was my disaster sense. He destroyed our homes and buildings, sending us into a state of fear. You can understand how we were terrified upon seeing the other three Swords of Justice arrive in our town."

"That is why we are here," Virizion said, stepping towards the disaster Pokémon. Several of the Pokémon around the elder tensed at the grassland Pokémon's approach, but Constancia signaled for them to back down. "We have come here along with these four exploration members to deal with Cobalion and hopefully save him from whatever darkness plagues him."

Constancia opens her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Pangoro scoffing. "You all expect to beat that menace? Yeah right. If we couldn't beat him, what hope do you have?"

"As I recall, _we_ beat you in less than five minutes," DJ pointed out jeeringly. The Pangoro growled at the Lucario. He took a menacing step towards him, but froze at his elder's steely voice cut through the air.

"Bruno." The Pangoro slowly turned at met ruby red eyes that were burning with anger. "Stand. Down." Reluctantly, the Pangoro stepped away from the Lucario, resigned to glare hatefully at the blue jackal, who smirked childishly at him. Seeing the Pangoro stand down, Constancia nodded and turned back to Virizion.

"If you are truly here to help, then we will not turn you away. With the threat of Cobalion hanging over us, we are fearful to even step outside to seek help. Our strongest fighters were unable to even scratch him. We have been living in total fear."

"No offense to your people, but they ain't the best fighters," Terrakion grunted, ignoring the sounds of indignation from the three Pokémon they fought.

"What my compatriot is trying to say is that we are more than capable of handling Cobalion," Virizion interjected, shooting Terrakion with an annoyed look. Absol looked at the group thoughtfully, her eyes landing on the quartet from Team Stardust.

"You four, you are from Team Stardust, yes?"

"Yes, we are," Asura answered, stepping up next to Virizion.

Constancia nodded her head. "I thought so. We heard about how you assisted our world and we are all grateful to you. If you are positive that you can handle him..."

"We are."

"Then we are in your debt." Constancia said with a smile.

"Elder, you can't be serious!" Bruno interjected. "They're just a bunch of-"

"Bruno," Constancia said coldly. Bruno's mouth snapped shut, but he still had a mutinous look on his face. With an angered huff, he stormed off. Constancia watched him go and sighed. "That boy... His heart is in the right place, but he is headstrong and does not think things through."

"I know how you feel," Asura said, looking directly at DJ.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" the former human demanded, affronted.

"Shiftry," Bertha said.

"Surge," Drake added.

"Me," Asura said.

"Shiftry again..."

"Okay, okay! I get it!" DJ snapped, crossing his arms and pouting childishly. "And that last one wasn't my fault!"

"Anyway, we intend to stop Cobalion before he can do anymore harm," Virizion said, turning back to the Absol.

"Then we beg of you" -Constancia and the rest of the Pokémon assembled all bowed to the group.- "please help us."

"We will," Virizion said with conviction, the rest of the group nodding their heads in agreement.

-Legend-

The elderly Absol informed them that Cobalion was last seen climbing Mt. Rizen, the mountain behind the town. After restocking their supplies, the group made haste to the mountain. Arriving at the mountain, the group saw that large trees were growing along the mountainside, causing its roots to burrow in and out of the stone.

Climbing the mountain took a relatively short time with the group only stopping to rest. Any wild Pokémon appeared to have been scared off by Cobalion because the group didn't encounter any. Before long, the group stood before a large cave entrance.

"Is he in here?" Keldeo asked timidly.

DJ activated his aura sense, careful not to hurt himself with his new sensitivity to aura. Quickly looking into the cave he was nearly blinded by a powerful aura. He couldn't make out the shape, but he was positive it was alive.

"There's a large mass of aura in the cave," DJ informed the group. "I can't make you who or what it is, but its alive."

"That's gotta be Cobalion!" Keldeo exclaimed.

"It would appear so," Virizion said uneasily.

"We're going to have to be careful from here on out," Asura informed. "Cobalion's a legendary. While not at Darkrai's level of power, he's still powerful."

"Right," they all agreed before entering the cave.

Upon entering, they saw that it wasn't so much of a cave as it was a long tunnel. Thick roots burst through the stone walls and curled in on themselves. Glowing stones were embedded into the walls, offering dim light to the group. The walked cautiously down the winding tunnel as if expecting the wayward sword to jump out at them at any moment. After five minutes of walking they came upon a large cavern.

A large hole in the ceiling brought in sunlight, illuminating the scene before them. To the group's surprise, the floor was covered in vibrant green grass that glistened with dew and wild flowers sprouted out sporadically. Larger fragments of the same glowing crystal littered the wall, glowing even brighter with the sunlight entering the cavern. However, there was one thing that broke the scene of tranquility.

A long four-legged figure stood in the middle of the clearing. The figure had dark blue fur over its body with dirty bronze protrusions sprouting from its shoulders. A large scruff of ash gray fur flowed down its long neck. Two large, thin, bronze horns rested atop its head, a black bald spot in between them. Its face was a slightly lighter blue than his fur, its eyes were closed.

"Cobalion," Virizion whispered.

The figure opened its eyes, revealing two ruby red eyes. The figure focused on the three swordsmen and smirked.

"My...friends. It is good to see you again," he mocked, his voice was smooth and calm yet held a dangerous edge to it.

"Cut the pleasantries, Cobalion!" Terrakion snapped. "We're here to snap you out of this!"

"Snap me out of what?" Cobalion asked almost tauntingly.

"The darkness that's controlling you!" Keldeo piped up.

"Oh, but this darkness is not controlling me," Cobalion grinned. "It gives me so much power. More power than I could dream of!"

"This is getting us nowhere," Asura interjected. "He's completely under the darkness' influence."

Cobalion's head swiveled to Team Stardust as if taking note the other four for the first time. "Oh? You seem to have brought trash with you."

"TRASH!" Bertha roared in anger. "I'll show you trash!" She made to move forward, but Drake's outstretched claw stopped her.

"He is baiting you," the land shark said, his yellow eyes narrowed.

"So the trash actually has a brain. Impressive," Cobalion jeered at Drake, who gave no outward reaction.

"Enough words!" Virizion suddenly shouted abruptly, taking a step forward. "We shall defeat you, Cobalion, and restore you to your previous state!"

An ominous wind blew through the clearing. Cobalion regarded the group, noting their tensing bodies as they prepared to battle. His eyes roamed over them, silently gauging their strength and comparing it to his own. After several tense seconds he smiled at his former team.

"Hmph, it is clear that, together, you would have enough strength to defeat me, even with the trash you three call allies." Cobalion grinned ferally. "I have a proposition for you."

"Why would we bother to listen to anything you have to say?!" Bertha growled, still stinging from the 'trash' comment. "We could just-"

"I challenge one of you to single combat." The three swords of justice froze at Cobalion's challenge.

"Why would we agree to that?" Asura asked with a frown. Cobalion smirked at the Medicham before addressing his former teammates.

"On the off chance that you win, I stop my rampaging, but should I win, you all leave and I continue with my attacks on the village," he said, ignoring Asura completely, his gaze solely on the trio of swordsman. "Come now, don't you three have _honor_?" he mocked.

"Honor has nothing to do with this," DJ snarled. "What matters is stopping you before-"

"He's right," Virizion almost whispered.

"-you hurt some...one." DJ couldn't even finish his sentence he was so surprised.

"Are you insane?!" Asura demanded harshly. "We're trying to stop him!"

"He has issued a challenge. We cannot interfere," Virizion said regretfully.

"There's almost nothing more important than honor and disrespecting a challenge would be dishonorable," Terrakion ground out.

"It was the first thing Cobalion taught us," Keldeo murmured. "Respect a challenge, no matter who makes it."

"Predictable," Cobalion drawled, causing the trio to grit their teeth in anger. "Since I know I can beat you three with minimal trouble, I will issue my challenge to one of you four," he said, looking at the quartet.

"And what's to stop us from attacking you all at once?" Asura challenged, taking a step forward.

"I will fight you!" Team Stardust whirled around towards DJ, shooting him looks of disbelief.

"You will not!" Asura shouted.

"Yes, I will," DJ said firmly. Asura opened his mouth to protest further, but the Lucario cut him off. "Asura, I need to do this. Don't try and stop me."

"Why do you need to do this?" Bertha demanded. "Why do you have to fight him alone?"

"I'm not sure myself," DJ admitted. "I can feel something in his aura, something that is shining through the darkness that his consuming him. A small smidgen of honor that refuses to be smothered by whatever is controlling him." DJ turned towards the stoic Cobalion, noting a flash in his eye. "He's fighting it. I'm sure of it. He just needs something to snap him out of it."

"And fighting him one on one will do that?" Asura asked doubtfully.

"Hey, if he's big on honor, maybe an honorable battle will do the trick," DJ said with a large grin. With that, DJ tuned out his friends and stepped forward to face Cobalion.

"So you are the one who will accept my challenge?" Cobalion questioned with a bored tone.

"That's right. My name is-"

"Don't bother telling me your name," the iron will Pokémon interrupted with a condescending smirk. "I don't take the time to remember the names of trash."

"Funny, you seem to remember your name just fine." Cobalion's smirk morphed into a frown. He turned fully towards the Lucario and looked him over carefully.

"Hmph, you seem strong." DJ smirked challengingly.

"Thank you."

"For trash that is," Cobalion sneered imperiously.

"We'll see who's trash after this fight," DJ said, slipping into a fighting stance.

"Yes we shall."

A silent wind blew through the cavern. All at once the two steel-fighting types burst forward, each determined to beat the other into submission.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Clash of the Iron Wills

Cobalion charged towards DJ like an enraged Tauros. A light orange glowing mach cone forming in front of him as he prepared to use take down. DJ quickly rolled to the side to avoid Cobalion's attack and sent a normal kick towards the steel-fighting type's leg. DJ withheld a wince as a jarring pain traveled up his body from his foot upon making contact with the legendary's steel-like body. Cobalion's head whipped around and glared at the Lucario. Before DJ could react, Cobalion reared back his back legs and slammed into DJ chest with a vicious double kick.

With the wind knocked from his lungs, DJ was sent flying back from the attack. In a impressive display of dexterity, DJ landed on his feet and dashed forward once more. Cobalion cried out in challenge and ran to meet him. Just as the two were about to collide, DJ disappeared from view and reappeared behind the iron-will Pokémon. Beginning to turn around, Cobalion was met with a power-up punch to his cheek. Cobalion's head snapped back, but gave no other indication that he had felt the attack.

Cobalion growled before opening his mouth and shooting out a blast of steel gray energy at the former human. With a startled yelp, DJ was barely able to duck under the attack. He quickly leapt back from Cobalion before he could try anything else. Touching down, DJ brought his paws together and formed a large aura sphere. With a shout, he fired the glowing sphere at the stoic legendary.

Cobalion scoffed as the attack drew near. The black portion on the top of his head began to glow a dark blue. Just as DJ's aura sphere was about to make contact with legendary swung his head and a dark blue, almost indigo, light erupted from his head, slicing the aura sphere in half. The two halves exploded, temporarily covering Cobalion in smoke. When it cleared, the legendary stood tall, a glowing blue sword protruding from his head.

"What the..." Before DJ could react, Cobalion charged and swiped at DJ with the blade, cutting into him and sending him soaring through the air.

DJ landed with a pained grunt, paws clutching his chest. He looked up weakly at Cobalion who was standing proudly, his sword still there. "What was that?"

"Hmph, fool. You have chosen to engage me in battle, yet you know nothing of my abilities," Cobalion sneered disdainfully at the aura Pokémon. "This is my sacred sword!"

"Sacred...sword?" DJ repeated, shakily getting to his feet. "I guess that's why you guys are called the Swords of Justice."

"How did you not know that?" he asked, genuine curiosity coloring his condescending attitude. "Everyone knows of us."

"Let's just say I'm not from around here." Cobalion gave the Lucario a confused expression before a look of understanding flitted across his face.

"Ah, so _you_ are the former human that my master spoke of," he said.

"Your master?" DJ asked. "What master?"

"Hmph, defeat me in battle and I may tell you," he said, a sly, confident smirk stretching across his face. Without warning, Cobalion charged forward, his sword angled to skewer the former human.

DJ quickly got to his feet and moved to the side causing the blade to miss him by mere inches. Growling in annoyance and swung his head back around forcing DJ to lean back to the point where his ears brushed the ground.

Cobalion continued try and cut DJ with sacred sword and each time DJ evaded the sword, though just barely. Finally, when Cobalion swung towards DJ's mid-section, the Lucario flipped over the sword before firing an aura sphere into the corrupted legendary's exposed back. Cobalion grunted in pain, his legs buckling somewhat. His blade faded do him losing focus.

Landing, DJ spun around and attempted to hit the legendary with another power-up only for his fist to slam into Cobalion's back leg as he used double kick at the same time. The two attacks released a concussive blast of fighting type energy that caused both Pokémon to skid back a few feet. With a growl, Cobalion released another blast of silvery energy at the Lucario.

As the metal burst hurtled towards DJ, he surprisingly smirked. The spikes on the back of his paws glowed a bright silver as he raised his arm into the air. His spike then split into three claws that extended a ways past his paws. Bringing his arm down in a slashing motion, the three claws slammed into the blast of steel energy. Electricity sparked as the two steel type moves battled for dominance. With a roar, DJ gave a final push with his attack, he caused the metal burst to explode.

Once the smoke cleared, DJ was standing slightly worse for ware, the the metallic claws still glowing strong. DJ grinned at the steel-fighting type, albeit tiredly.

"You're not the only one with tricks." Cobalion scoffed.

"You think a simple metal claw will be enough to beat?" Cobalion questioned sardonically. "You still have no chance against me."

"We'll just see about that," DJ challenged, forming a metal claw with on his other paw and leapt at the legendary.

"Yes, we shall." Cobalion said, forming another sacred sword and charging DJ.

-Legend-

"Whoa," Keldeo said in awe as he watched the two steel-fighting types clash. "Their both incredible!"

"Yes, I never would have guessed that your Lucario would be able to keep up with Cobalion," Virizion said, looking shocked.

"DJ's always been full of surprises," Asura said, a proud tone creeping into his voice. "Though I wonder when he had the time to learn metal claw..."

"I think I heard Katara say he asked Alistair about it when he went to ask him about when he went to ask about his mega stone," Bertha said.

"Even with that move, he won't win," Terrakion said grimly, his eyes never leaving the battle.

"What do you mean? They look evenly matched!" Keldeo said.

"Use your eyes kid, they're anything but," Terrakion said gruffly. "Your Lucario friend is tiring."

"But..." Keldeo tried to say only to be interrupted by Virizion.

"Terrakion's right," she said morosely. "Look closer. You can clearly see that DJ slowing. That and his attacks are scarcely doing a thing against Cobalion."

"DJ will be fine," Asura reassured. "He has faced far stronger foes than Cobalion."

"I don't know, Asura," Bertha said uneasily. "At this rate he might..."

"He'll be fine," Asura repeated, casting a stern look at his two teammates before turning back to the fight. "He has to be," he added in a whisper.

-Legend-

 _Dammit!_ DJ cursed as Cobalion's sacred sword managed to cut into his side. DJ tried to get in close and claw at him with metal claw only for Cobalion to turn and plant his back legs into DJ's gut, sending the aura Pokémon flying. Keeping his sword activated, Cobalion turned and watched as DJ smashed into the cave wall. Groaning in pain, DJ pushed himself to a standing position, his claws wavering as he struggled to maintain the steel type energy.

 _I can barely keep us,_ he thought, glaring at Cobalion's mostly pristine form. _Even with all the attacks I hit him with, he's barely felt anything! Even with the strength increase I occasionally get from using metal claw, I'm hardly doing anything at all! At this rate..._ DJ shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. _No, I can't think like that. I have to win this battle. Somehow..._

 _ **You could use my power,**_ a voice said in DJ's head, startling the aura Pokémon. **_Go ahead, use my power. Show this fool why he shouldn't mess with us._**

 _Not this again,_ DJ grumbled mentally. _Get out of my head!_

 _ **Aww, don't be like that,**_ the voice purred. **_Don't you want to win?_**

 _Shut up!_ DJ placed a paw against his temple in a futile attempt to stifle the voice, an act that did not escape those around him.

 _ **You can't block me out. I'm a part of you.**_ DJ shivered as the unsettling feeling of someone wrapping their arms around his body settled over him. **_I just want to help._**

 _Liar!_

 _ **Oh? And why would I lie to myself?**_ the voice questioned almost mockingly. **_We are the same. You know everything I'm saying is true._**

"SHUT UP!" DJ cried aloud. His metal claws faded as he clutched his head. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

-Legend-

"What's going on?" Keldeo asked fearfully. "Why's he shouting like that?"

"This isn't good," Asura mumbled.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?!" Terrakion demanded with Virizion nodding in agreement.

"I'm not sure what's happening exactly," Asura confessed. "All I know is that whatever it is, it's not good."

-Legend-

Back at the battle, Cobalion was giving DJ a look of confusion which soon morphed into one of anger.

"I do not know what you seek to accomplish by acting a fool, but it will not stop me!" Lowering his head, Cobalion pawed the ground and charged at DJ, the glowing mach cone of take down forming before his blade.

Still holding his head, DJ was unable to even attempt to evade Cobalion's attack. Cobalion rammed into DJ with his combined attack, smashing DJ into the wall and causing his sword to cut into DJ's side just under his arm. DJ screamed in pain as the glowing blade bit into his side. He threw a swift power-up punch at Cobalion, striking the dark legendary in the face and causing him to back up.

DJ quickly used extreme speed to get around Cobalion, only for his side to get clipped by the steel-fighting type's double kick. Stumbling, DJ had to roll away as to not get stomped on by Cobalion. He quickly formed dual metal claws and began to slash at Cobalion, but he only met Cobalion's sword.

The two slashed and hacked at each other and whereas Cobalion would gracefully dodge of block DJ's strikes, DJ was narrowly dodging the glowing sword. Becoming tired of this fairly one-sided fight, Cobalion reared back on his hind legs and brought his sword down on DJ, forcing him to bring up his metal claws in order to not be bisected.

The two attacks ground against each other as they each tried to push the other away. Cobalion proved to by the stronger of the two as he slowly began to push DJ down until he was on his knees. DJ gritted his teeth and tried to push the attack away, but Cobalion was too powerful. To DJ's increasing horror, cracks began to appear on his metal claws from the strain. With a final push, Cobalion shattered the claws, leaving DJ defenseless.

Without giving his opponent time to react, Cobalion mercilessly swung his head in a crescent motion, causing his sword to slam up into DJ's chest. DJ screamed in pain as Cobalion continued with the motion, bringing his head up and tossing the aura Pokémon into the air. The onlookers cried out in horror as the Lucario was flung into the air, pain evident on his face. As DJ soared through the air, Cobalion turned and, with malice glowing in his eyes, fired a powerful metal burst.

Helpless to dodge, DJ took the full brunt of the attack which exploded into him and was sent him hurtling to the ground. He smashed into the dirt hard enough to bounce a foot off of the ground. Saliva and a little blood flew from his mouth as he gasped in pain from the initial harsh impact before he laid still, his eyes closed.

Cobalion looked at the motionless Lucario and scoffed. "Is that all?" he questioned in an unimpressed manner. "From all that talk, I expected more." He turned away from DJ's form, his sword dispersing. "I should have known that trash wouldn't b-"

Cobalion was cut off as a virtual inferno of blue light erupted from behind him. Snapping his head around, he saw DJ rising to his feet, the blue light flickering around him like a torch. The flames began to die down slightly to the point where the extended a few inches from the Lucario's body. Panting slightly, DJ opened his now glowing eyes and fixed Cobalion with a glare.

"Huh, it's been a while since I've been forced to use this power since Luke." Cobalion's eyes widened in shock before the narrowed in anger.

"What is this?! This is not an ability of your species!" DJ smirked at Cobalion's anger.

"I'm surprised your _master_ didn't tell you!" Cobalion gritted his teeth, seething. "This is the very same power that I used to destroy a dark well! This is my shining aura!"

"Shining...aura?" Cobalion questioned in reluctant awe. His eyes hardened into ruby chips. "It matters not what power you have. It will always be inferior to my own!"

"Man, you're one egotistical asshole, aren't ya'?" Cobalion scowled at the Lucario and turned to fully face him.

Neither Pokémon moved an inch. They stood silently glaring at the other, waiting for some unknown signal to start their battle once more. A low wind blew through the cavern from the opened roof, ruffling the grass. Just like that, their eyes narrowed and they raced towards one another.

DJ quickly reared back a fist and attempted to strike him in the face with a glowing orange fist. Cobalion saw that attack and leaned his head to the side, causing the attack to sail past him. He then used take down and rammed into DJ. He continued with the movement and began to push DJ across the ground.

DJ gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the ground, causing Cobalion's speed to steadily decrease until he stopped all together. DJ then grabbed onto Cobalion's horns and, in a surprising display of strength, lifted the legendary into the air. Wide-eyed, Cobalion flailed wildly as he slammed into the ground. Before he could recover, DJ planted a power-up punch into his side.

Grunting in pain, Cobalion glared at DJ and shot out a metal burst that the Lucario was barely able to dodge. Swiftly jumping to his feet, the iron-will Pokémon charged the aura Pokémon with take down once more. This time, however, DJ used extreme speed to not only avoid the attack but also allowed him to ram int Cobalion's side, causing him to stumble to the side. Pressing his current advantage, DJ activated metal claw and racked his claws across Cobalion's side. Hissing in pain, Cobalion attempted to nail DJ with a double kick, but he was yet again evaded.

DJ started to circle the legendary while using extreme speed, causing him to look like a blue blur was surrounding the legendary. He would then break the circle every now and then and slash Cobalion with metal claw. Cobalion, becoming increasingly annoyed, repeatedly tried to use double kick as the Lucario passed by, but he couldn't land a hit. Instead of becoming mad, Cobalion closed his eyes and began to calm down. He took steady breaths and waited.

Seeing this, DJ became slightly wary. He continued to circle his foe cautiously, unsure of what the legendary had in store for him. Deciding to take a risk, he broke the circle and ran at Cobalion again. Just as he was about to hit the steel-fighting type with another metal claw, Cobalion's eyes snapped open and he swung his head towards DJ, his glowing sword materializing as he did so. Unable to stop, DJ cried out in pain as he was thrown across the room, a thin line of red appearing on his chest. DJ managed to righten himself in the air and land on his feet, staggering slightly and holding his chest with a paw.

"It appears that your _shining aura_ is not as powerful as you made it out to be," Cobalion said haughtily, and act that was diminished do to the corrupted Pokémon's light panting.

"Careful. Your ego is showing." Cobalion gaze hardened significantly.

"I will enjoy killing you." Without hesitance, Cobalion charged forward, his sword leveled with DJ's chest.

DJ swiftly rolled to the side and fired an aura sphere at Cobalion as he passed. The sphere exploded against Cobalion's flank, causing the corrupted Pokémon to howl in pain. Turning, Cobalion slammed his blade down upon DJ, forcing the former human to roll away. Getting to his feet, DJ summoned dual metal claws and attempted claw Cobalion. Moving faster that DJ anticipated, Cobalion spun around and deflected the attack before stabbing at the glowing Lucario.

DJ cried out in pain as the blade pierced his shoulder. Glaring at at the legendary with one eye, DJ reared back his fist and slammed a power-up punch into Cobalion's face, forcing the legendary back. Stumbling back Cobalion shook his head to shake the cobwebs from his head. Turning to glare at the Lucario he was met with a significantly stronger power-up punch. Just as Cobalion recovered, he was met with another and another and another, each his becoming more powerful.

Having enough, Cobalion let out a close ranged metal burst which sent DJ tumbling head over heels through the air. Landing on his feet, DJ smirked at the furious Cobalion.

"I will not be made a fool!" Cobalion roared angrily. He began to paw the ground like a bull about to charge.

And charge he did.

He rocketed forward, utilizing take down to increase his speed and power. His eyes burned with hatred towards the Lucario standing before him.

Thinking quickly, DJ brought his claws back out and summoned fighting type energy to his paws. The familiar orange glow of his power-up punch began to fuse with the steel energy of his metal claw, forming orange claws that stretched down to just brush across the ground. Glaring heatedly at the corrupted legendary, he ran forward to meet him, using extreme speed to increase his speed. His elongated claws scraped across the ground leaving six lines across the ground.

The onlookers watched with bated breath as the two roared at the other and raced forward. With a cacophonous clang their attacks met, sending a pulse of light that wafted through the cave, temporarily blinding everyone. When the light faded the two adversaries could be seen standing several feet away from each other facing opposite ends of the cavern. A glowing blue object spun through the air before stabbing itself into the ground, sinking in several inches. Focusing on the object, the group saw what it was.

It was half of a glowing blade.

Cobalion's eyes were wide with disbelief. Looking up he saw only half of his once glowing and elegant blade was still coming from his head.

"Im...possible." With that, Cobalion fell to the ground, his blade -both parts- faded into nothing.

On the other side, DJ let out a sigh of relief, allowing the energy flowing around him to fade. Immediately after doing this, he was hit with a wave of fatigue and fell to one knee. In his weakened state he heard the muffled sounds of his friends before something bitter was stuffed in his mouth. Taking a reflexive bite he realized that it was an oran berry and quickly finished off the fruit.

"DJ, are you okay?" Opening a bleary eye, the blurry shapes of his teammates slowly began to come into focus.

"Guys?"

"Good, his brain still works," Bertha joked, patting DJ on the back hard enough to almost send him to the ground and caused him to moan in pain.

"Maybe do not be so rough with him," Drake suggested, a small smile on his face.

"Well, you've done it again," Asura said.

"What? Do something supposedly impossible?" DJ asked with a little cheek.

"No. You did something that will most likely get Grace, and most likely Katara, to scold you like a petulant child." DJ paled drastically as Asura's words sunk in.

"I'm doomed!" The other three members of Team Stardust all laughed at the Lucario's plight.

"Guys!" Keldeo's voice drew the quartet's attention towards Cobalion's unconscious.

Black smoke was pouring from the legendary's body. The smoke curled sinisterly in their air before it dissipated leaving a cold and menacing feeling in the air that before long, faded as well. With the black smoke gone, Cobalion's look had changed. His once dark blue coat was now a light teal with a snow white beard-like tuft on his chin.

"He's back to normal!" Keldeo exclaimed excitedly. He ran to Cobalion's form, ignoring Virizion and Terrakion's cries. He began to nudge Cobalion's unmoving form whispering, "Cobalion?" Cobalion's face scrunched up before golden orbs peered past half-lidded eyes lids.

"Ugh... Keldeo?" The colt Pokémon's face broke out in a dazzling grin.

"Cobalion!" he cheered, nuzzling into Cobalion's beard as the elder Pokémon raised his head.

"Keldeo, what is going on?" the confused legendary asked. Looking past the emotional Pokémon, he locked eyes with his two other teammates. "Virizion, Terrakion, what happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Virizion asked tentatively.

Cobalion frowned. "We were investigating incidents of Pokémon disappearing in Tempest Forest." His expression became instantly suspicious. "Why? What has happened?"

"Cobalion," Virizion said softly. "That was three weeks ago."

"Three weeks?" Cobalion questioned, aghast. "But how can that be?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Asura said, joining into the conversation. Cobalion narrowed his eyes as he noticed the extra four Pokémon.

"Who are you?"

"We are Team Stardust," Asura answered.

"Well, four of us anyway," Bertha added, ignoring Asura's glare.

"Team Stardust... I believe I have heard of you. You were the ones that stopped the dark wells from activating, are you not."

"That's us," DJ smiled weakly.

"Might I ask what you are doing here and what did you mean by you were hoping that I would tell you what had happened?" Cobalion questioned.

"Because, for the past three works you have been terrorizing Pokémon," Asura said bluntly.

"I...what?" Cobalion's eyes were wide. Wide with surprise, disbelief, anger, and fear. "I would never..."

"You did," Virizion said softly. "You attacked us. You attacked innocent Pokémon."

"I would never..." Cobalion trailed off, too shocked to finish is sentence. He looked down at Keldeo who refused to meet his gaze. He noted the tears that were beginning to from in the water-fighting type's eyes. "I did..."

"You weren't yourself," Terrakion reassured. "You were being...controlled or something."

"Controlled?"

"Yeah, you were all dark and stuff," Keldeo said, still not raising his eyes. "You attacked everything that got in your way. It was...scary."

"We weren't able to stop you so we had to get some outside help," Terrakion said, indicating to Team Stardust. "If it wasn't for them, you would most likely still be attacking innocent Pokémon."

"Then I feel that I owe you four a thank you. You have done me and the rest of us a great service," Cobalion said, bowing his head in gratitude.

"When you were under the influence of whatever that was, you mentioned that you had a master. Do you recall who it was?" Asura asked.

"I am afraid that I do not," Cobalion said sorrowfully. "I have no recollection of anything that occurred while I was being controlled."

"Damn," Asura cursed. "That could have told us what caused this."

"I apologize," Cobalion said sincerely.

"You don't have to apologize," DJ said. "All that matters is that everything's okay, now."

"Not exactly," Asura said, gaining everyone's attention. "There is still one thing left to do."

-Legend-

"And so, I cannot begin to express my how guilty I feel over what I have done, even if I had no control over my actions," Cobalion said, bowed on one knee before the townspeople of Stoneford.

Many of the townspeople looked mutinous, Bruno especially. It was clear that they all were still bitter about what he did to their town. The rest of the Swords of Justice stood tensely behind their leader, ready to spring into action should they be needed. After a tense silence that felt like an eternity, Constancia stepped forward ignoring the behest of those around her.

"You have done great harm to our town," she said, her expression blank. Cobalion did not look up, but you could still see the guilt flash through him. "You have destroyed buildings, establishments, businesses, and above all else, you have struck fear into the hearts of each citizen.

With each word it was like a nail being hammered in the proverbial coffin. Cobalion deepened his bow, his snout practically digging into the dirt as the shame of what he had done pressed onto his shoulders.

"And after all that," Constancia continued. "I cannot come to fault you."

Cobalion's head shot up, his mouth agape in an undignified manner. Behind him, his teammates wore similar expressions.

"What?" he asked, all decorum lost. Constancia smiled kindly at the legendary.

"You may not remember this, but years ago, a great fire spread across a forest not far from here." Cobalion's eyes flashed with recognition over the event. "I was a young pup back then. I was trapped in the middle of the forest when it started. I truly thought I was going to die, but I was saved." Red eyes locked onto gold. "I was saved by the leader of the Swords of Justice. I was saved by you."

"I remember," Cobalion whispered. "You were trapped under a fallen tree."

Constancia smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, that was me. Ever since then, I have talked about how you saved me without thought for your own life. I have told this story to many of the Pokémon that live here. They, as well as I, know of the real you. The one that attacked this town...that was not you. The Cobalion that I know would never attack the innocent and because of that, we forgive you."

Still wide eyed, Cobalion looked up and saw that all of the townspeople were smiling at him, though Bruno was trying to look like he wasn't.

"I-I do not understand. I attacked you all, yet you still see me as a hero?"

"We have all heard about you and the other Swords of Justice. We grew up on stories about you four. There's no way that you could be really evil," a young Espurr said, stepping up to Cobalion, smiling brightly.

Cobalion could not stop the gasp from escaping his throat. He was surprised over how forgiving the Pokémon before him were. Slowly lowering his head, he lightly bumped his head against the Espurr, allowing the you psychic type to hug his horns.

"Thank you," he whispered, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. "Thank you all."

A ways away, the quartet from Team Stardust smiled at the sight.

"It feels nice to be able to help a town like this," Bertha said.

"Though I _did_ do the majority of the work," DJ joked, earning himself a surprise meeting with the ground when Bertha smashed her bone into his head.

"No one likes a blowhard," Bertha huffed.

"At least we were able to help," Drake said.

"Well, I guess we should head home now," DJ said, rubbing his head.

"Not quite," Asura said.

"Huh?" DJ asked, recoiling when he saw Asura's hard stare directed at him.

"I think it's time you talked about what went on during your fight." DJ looked nervous.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"Cut the crap!" Asura snapped, his stare becoming frigid. "I want to know what was going on when you were clutching your head and shouting at nothing!"

DJ gulped loudly at his friends expectant, if not demanding, looks. He was not looking forward to this conversation.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The Truth Comes Out

DJ sat awkwardly before his team with his head bowed in order to avoid their gazes. The rest of Team Stardust on the other hand had their eyes firmly locked on the Lucario, their expressions a mix of horror, disbelief, and anger.

"So help me to understand this,"Asura said slowly, his tone even and tight. "Ever since our fight with Darkrai, you have been hearing a voice in your head?"

"Kinda..." DJ replied nervously.

"And that voice has been telling you to use its power?"

"Yeah..."

"And instead of informing your team like any sensible Pokémon, you decided to keep it a secret?"

"Yes."

"Then let me just ask one more thing. WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"

DJ flinched at Asura's voice and sunk deeper into the chair. "Well, the first time was in my nightmare so I...I thought that it wasn't a big deal."

"NOT A BIG DEAL?!" Asura roared in disbelief. "ARE YOU INSANE?! YOU WERE HEARING VOICES IN YOUR HEAD! HOW IS THAT NOT A BIG DEAL?!" Asura began to pace around the lounge, attempting to calm himself before he broke something, or rather someone. After a minute he finally gained a better control of his anger and asked, "What went through your head when you decided that a voice that was not _you_ speaking in your head wasn't important?"

"Well it wasn't hurting anything," DJ began. "I mean, it was just a voice and, like I said, I thought it was just because Darkrai trapped me a nightmare..."

"That happened almost month ago," Drake pointed out.

"I know but that voice..."

Asura's eyes narrowed. "What about it?"

"The voice that I heard while I was fighting Cobalion was one of the voices that I heard in my nightmare." The entire team's eyes widened at this admission.

"Hold on. You have _two_ voice in your head?!" Blitz asked curiously.

"No, one of them was just from the nightmare. It wasn't offering me power. It was just..."

"Enough with the cut offs!" Asura shouted, getting agitated from the lack of answers DJ was giving them. "Tell us everything!"

"Okay, okay! The voice that I heard when I was fighting Cobalion, I recognized it," DJ confessed.

"Who was it?" Graced asked. When DJ didn't answer Asura got mad.

"DJ! WHO WAS IT?!" he roared.

"IT WAS ME!" DJ shouted in anger, causing the room to go silent. All at once, the anger and defiance fled the Lucario's body and he slumped forward, he head in his paws. "The voice was mine," he whispered. "It was my voice."

"How is that possible?" Bertha asked in disbelief. Once again, DJ didn't answer. Asura made to shout at the silent Lucario when Grace put a soothing hand on his arm.

"DJ," she said softly. "What aren't you telling us?"

"...When Darkrai trapped me in that nightmare, I...I saw the guild house was burning," DJ answered after a minute of silence.

Asura frowned at that. Sure it was horrible that their home was burning in DJ's dream, but that shouldn't have been enough to put DJ in such a state.

"Something happened to us, didn't it?" Asura guessed. Judging by DJ's silence, he had hit the nail on the head. "What happened?"

DJ was silent for a while before he whispered, "Everything was fine at first. Then an explosion tore through the guild house and you all...you all were on the ground and-" DJ's voice broke as tears began to build up in his eyes.

The team all had various expressions of horror on their faces. DJ didn't need to finish in order for them to know what he saw. They could see how such a sight would mess with DJ or any other Lucario for that matter. Lucario were fiercely loyal to those they saw as friends and for DJ to see them on the ground like that... It must have been heartbreaking to watch.

"DJ..." Asura said, much softer than before. "I...I can see how that would be upsetting, but how does that tie into the voice."

"Because, the one that did all that...was me."

"WHAT?!" they all shouted in unison.

"Y-You did all that?" Jet asked, horror evident on his face.

"No, I mean yes, I mean...I don't know!" DJ clutched his head in frustration. "It was me, but...different."

"Different how?" Jackson asked.

"He-I was dark. Like Luke when he stepped out of the dark well," DJ said. "And He-I-It, whatever it was, said that he was me, but better."

"Better?" Drake questioned.

"Stronger," DJ clarified. "But that wasn't it. Some... _thing_ formed out of the smoke. It kept saying that I could be like that darker version of me. That I could be stronger." The room was dead silent. No one even dared to breathe as the listened with rapt attention to DJ's tale. "Then the smoke began to surround me like a cocoon. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could hear was that figure telling me that I would soon be like the other me."

"And that other you, that was the voice you were hearing when you were fighting Cobalion?" Asura asked.

"Yeah."

Asura sighed. "Why didn't you tell us this after our fight with Darkrai?"

"Because it was just a nightmare," DJ said stubbornly. "And that voice, whatever it was, was probably just some aftereffects of the nightmare."

"No, it wasn't that," Katara interjected. "This started before then."

"What do you mean?" Asura demanded, his head snapping to the water type.

"In Chrysolis, when we encountered Team Fireheart, when you were fighting Spire there was a moment I couldn't feel your emotions anymore."

"Huh?" DJ said in confusion.

"Yeah, and at the end of it, you clutched your head like you were in pain," Jackson added.

"It was just a headache or something," DJ said, not meeting their eyes.

"DJ, we've all seen you with a headache. You may be grouchy, but you don't cry out and clutch your head in pain," Katara deadpanned.

"So whatever this is has been affecting you since back then," Grace reasoned, a contemplative look crossing her face.

"Nothing has been affecting me!" DJ shouted in frustration. "I've just been having headaches and...flashbacks to my nightmare or something!"

"You know, for a human turned Pokémon, you're pretty closed minded about this kind of stuff," Drake commented blandly.

"Look, it's just...what's the alternative? I have some _evil_ side of me whispering in my ear?" DJ asked incredulously. "That's a little far fetched don't you think?"

"Says the human turned Pokémon," Jet muttered under his breath.

"And you did have the whole primal aura thing going for you for the better part of a year," Blitz commented, earning a scathing look from the former human.

"Look, it's nothing," the aura Pokémon said.

"Even if it is nothing, it would be a safe option to inform Guildmaster Gallade or even Alistair," Leaf said.

"No, don't tell them!" DJ said quickly, his voice slightly panicked.

"DJ, this could be something that affects all of us," Asura said sternly. "After what happened with your primal aura, I don't want to take any chances."

"It's _nothing_ ," DJ stressed. "Besides, Guildmaster Gallade and Alistair are both trying to figure out the whole legend thing."

"It's not _nothing_!" Asura snapped. "Whatever that was was what most likely allowed you to beat Darkrai!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"It is if it causes you to harm the team, then yes!"

"That won't happen!"

"How do you know?!"

"Because I would never hurt you guys!" DJ shouted, causing Asura to fall silent. "I would never... You guys are my family. I stayed in this world for you guys. I would never do what that me did. I wouldn't, so please trust me. Trust that I won't turn on you guys."

Asura was silent for a while, seemingly contemplating the Lucario's words. "Fine," he conceded after a while. "I won't tell my father."

"Thank you," DJ said, breathing a sigh in relief.

"But if this happens again, I will be telling my father and Alistair," Asura added. "Understood?!"

"Yes, sir!" DJ yelped.

"Good." Asura sighed tiredly. "I'm getting to old for this shit."

"You're like the same age as us," Jet pointed out, trying to lighten the mood.

"Do you want this job?"

"Hell no! I like my fur orange, not gray thank you very much." Asura sighed again.

"So...can I go?" DJ asked tentatively.

"Yes," Asura said reluctantly. "But remember what I said!"

"Got it, I'm gonna go see Gramps. Ciao!" DJ said before practically bolting from the room and out the door.

"I'm worried about him," Katara said when her Lucario friend was gone. "He's scared. Really scared."

"I'm not surprised," Grace said. "He was putting on a brave front, but you could tell it was affecting him."

"Why did you agree to not tell your father about this anyway?" Jackson asked their leader.

"Because if there is one thing that I know about DJ it's that he is loyal and highly protective of his friends," Asura said. "He would never turn on us."

"But he did attack us before when he lost control of his primal aura," Drake pointed out.

"He also held back," Katara said, quick to defend her friend.

"But he still attacked us," Drake said.

"Because he lost control!"

"And if he loses control over what is affecting him now?"

"..." Katara's mouth opened and closed furiously as she tried to come up with an argument, but she had nothing.

"No matter, all we can do is wait and see what happens next," Asura interjected, staving off the ensuing fight.

With an angry scoff, Katara stormed out of their guild house in order to clear her head. She believed in her friend. She remembered that even when he lost control he hesitated when he was about to attack her. She was confident that whatever was happening to him, he could control it.

-Legend-

Opposed to what he said, DJ was not going to meet up with Alistair. Instead he found himself wandering around Miracle Town. He waved and smiled to those around him, but his smile never reached his eyes. Truth be told, he was scared. Scared of the voice in his head. Scared of that altered version of himself. And most of all, scared of what he might do to his friends should he lose control. He stopped walking and looked down at his paws with a frown.

 _They are so different then the ones I had when he was a Riolu,_ he thought. _And it's not just my looks that have changed. I'm so much stronger than I was when I first came to this world. I've come so far. I faced enemy after enemy, each stronger than the last. Hell, I even saved this world, and yet..._

DJ turned his attention away from his paws and looked up at the sky. _And yet I'm still a liability. I thought that by becoming stronger I would be able to overcome anything, but this...this is impossible. I can't fight whatever this is because its in me and I can't stop it because its not a physical thing._ He sighed to himself. _Maybe I should have let Asura tell Gallade. At least he might have been able to help._

He felt the familiar sting of tears in his eyes, threatening to fall from their perch. It all seemed so impossible to him. By getting stronger, he had made himself even more of a liability than before. Should he lose control, all that power that he had gained in order to protect others would instantly be turned against those very Pokémon he sought to protect.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked aloud, tears beginning to spill down his face.

"Become stronger." DJ gave a startled yelp as a voice came from right next to him. Spinning around, he was met with the three unblinking eyes of a familiar bird Pokémon.

"Glyph?"

"Greetings, former human," the Sigilyph said in his customary monotonous voice.

"I do have a name you know," DJ deadpanned, turning his head to hide the fact that he had been crying.

"Come with me," Glyph said, not even registering what DJ had said.

"Where? Hey!" DJ shouted indigently when the Sigilyph floated away without answering his question. With an irritated huff, DJ wiped away he tears and followed the strange bird through Miracle Town.

The odd duo walked for several minutes, gaining odd stares from those they passed. DJ was very curious of where they were going. He did not recognize the route they were taking and began to wonder if Glyph was taking him somewhere secluded so he could do away with him. DJ quickly banished this thought. Glyph may have been...strange, but DJ knew that he wasn't a killer. Hopefully...

Glyph led the Lucario through the streets before entering a rather secluded alley. DJ began to second guess his first assumption over whether or not the Sigilyph meant him harm when they came upon an odd sight.

There, at the end of the alley, was a tent. It was large and made of a purple canvas with golden suns embroidered into the fabric. Twin lanterns hung above the entrance of the tent, casting ominous shadows down the alley.

DJ raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight before him. He turned to question the Sigilyph, but saw that he was already drifting towards the tent. Unsure of what to do, DJ tentatively followed.

The inside of the tent was even stranger than the outside. Paintings of the sun littered the inside of the tent, each in various positions in the sky. Several lamps hung from the roof of the tent, casting a golden light within the tent. Several brightly colored beanbags sat around an ornate looking desk. Upon the desk were a variety of strange orbs and trinkets that glinted in the low light. The desk itself had very intricate carvings of Pokémon along the sides and a strange symbol that strange gold cross-like ring surrounded by eighteen multicolored slabs. A large straw bed sat off in the far corner.

"What is this place?" DJ asked, running a finger over one of the orbs, noting that it seemed to pulse with some kind of energy.

"This is my home," Glyph said, floating over to the desk.

DJ's eyes widened in surprise. He never thought about where Glyph lived. To be honest, DJ had assumed that the avianoid Pokémon lived at the hill where he first met him, but the tent did seem to fit.

"So, why am I here?"

"You fear what is happening to you." It wasn't a question. DJ's eyes widened before he sighed in defeat.

"How'd you know?" Glyph fixed him with an intense stare.

"The sun tells me many things," he said cryptically.

"Did the sun tell you how to stop this?" DJ asked sarcastically, though there was a very minute hopeful tone in his voice.

"The sun works in very mysterious ways. While it has not given me specifics of what plagues you, yet there are ways to avoid the events that may come to pass."

"What events?" DJ asked eagerly.

"As I said, I do not have specifics, all I know for certain is one thing." He leaned in closer to the Lucario, his topmost eye an inch away from DJ's face. "Dark times are upon us."

DJ swallowed thickly. "Dark times?"

"Yes. Worse than what occurred all those months ago." DJ's eyes widened.

"You mean worse than Luke?"

"Much worse." Glyph turned away from DJ and floated behind his desk.

"Can't we stop it?" DJ asked, in a slightly desperate voice.

"I'm afraid not," Glyph said with a shake of his head. "These events have already been set in motion with the fall of those that were once believed to be myths."

"Believed to be myths? You mean the legendaries?!" Glyph made a noncommittal noise in confirmation. "What is happening them?"

"I'm not sure," Glyph confessed. "Whatever this darkness is, it is affecting them much like it is affecting you."

"You mean, what's happening to the legendaries...is happening to me?" DJ asked, fear coloring his eyes. Glyph stared at him in silence before slowly nodding his head.

That was all DJ could take. He collapsed bonelessly onto one of the beanbags that had thankfully been behind him. He placed his head in his paws, a look of pure an utter defeat coloring his face. He remembered how the two legendaries he faced acted. How Darkrai had tried to trap an entire island in nightmares and how Cobalion not only attacked a town, but also his friends.

"How? Why?" Glyph regarded the conflicted Lucario with a sympathetic gaze. "Does this mean... Does this mean that I'll end up like them?"

"It is possible," Glyph answered slowly.

DJ laughed mirthlessly. "So Asura was right. I'll end up hurting them all. Again."

"Not necessarily." DJ gave Glyph a confused look.

"But you said-"

"I _said_ that it is possible that you will end up like the other legendaries," Glyph clarified. "There are many possibilities of what may or may not occur. You could fall into the darkness that plagues you, but you may not."

"What can I do to fight this?" DJ asked, fire lighting in his eyes.

Glyph smiled at this, or gave his equivalent of a smile. "You must become stronger in order to fight the influence of your darker self. Not just in body, but in mind as well. This darkness is like a cancer on your psyche. While it cannot be removed, it can be suppressed."

Glyph's eyes glowed bright blue as he unleashed a small wave of psychic energy. A drawer in his desk opened and a necklace with blue crystal was pulled from it. The crystal floated over to DJ who took it into his paws.

"What is this?" DJ asked.

"It is a shard of pure psychic energy that was siphoned from an Alakazam using calm mind," Glyph explained. "It is meant to sooth the emotions of the wearer. It should help with suppressing the darkness that dwells within you."

With a nod, DJ slipped the necklace over his head. He immediately felt a sudden calm wash over him. His fears and worry over what he had just learned seemed to be a mere whisper in the back of his mind instead of a roaring storm that they had been a few seconds prior.

"However, the crystal itself will not be enough," Glyph said, gaining the former human's attention. "It cannot subdue the darkness away by itself. You must _want_ to push the darkness away. If you are swayed by that side of you, you _will_ be consumed by it. That is why you must become stronger."

Glyph floated around the desk and stopped inches from DJ. "Your strength, both physical and mental, is what allowed you to conquer the evil that once threatened our world. You must become stronger to face the encroaching darkness as well as the darkness within you."

DJ nodded in understanding. He looked down at the blue crystal that hung just above his chest spike and his blue eyes hardened in determination. Glyph saw this and eye-smiled at the Lucario.

"I understand," DJ said, getting up from the beanbag. "Thank you." Glyph bowed his head in acknowledgment. DJ made to leave the tent when he stopped and turned back around. "You said that the legendaries were facing the same darkness as me. Does that mean that all of them have turned evil?"

"No, not all of them have been affected by this darkness," Glyph answered.

"Do you know which ones have been affected?"

"No, the sun has not been forthcoming with that knowledge."

"Has the sun told you what caused this?" Glyph frowned.

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, no, no," DJ said quickly, raising his paws placatingly.

"You think that staring at the sun all day is a joke, don't you?" Glyph accused.

"No, not at all!" DJ denied.

"You think I am foolish for doing such a task. Well it is no more foolish than looking up at the moon!"

-Legend-

Across town, a certain Umbreon sneezed.

"Someone's talking smack about the moon," Jackson growled before dashing off. "This will not stand!"

"Uno? Where are you going?" Blade asked the Umbreon as he ran by.

"The moon must be heard!" he shouted. "All hail the moon!"

Blade sweat-dropped at his teammates antics. "Am I the only sane one on this team?" A loud crash, gained the Scizor's attention.

"Blitz! I told you to stop breaking stuff!" he roared.

"Relax, Blade," Blitz said nonchalantly. "It was just one window pane."

"Yes, but now I have to clean it!"

"Just do what I do and leave it for someone else."

"Blitz," Blade growled angrily. Without warning, Blade suddenly flew at the Pikachu. "I'll skin you alive!"

"EEK!" Blitz shrieked in fear, running out of the room, an enraged Scizor hot on his heels. Leaf, who had been standing off to the side, sighed and shook his head.

"Sometimes I miss living in the forest," he huffed.

-Legend-

"I assure you, I am not mocking you," DJ said, practically pleading at that point.

Glyph glared coldly at the Lucario before smiling. "I know, I was just messing with you." DJ's jaw dropped.

"Wha-?"

"Just because the future looks bleak, that doesn't mean you cannot relax and have a good time," Glyph said. "It is times like these when happiness and laughter become precious. Now go to your friends, enjoy your time with them for they are your greatest strength. Keep them close and your will will never falter."

DJ stared gobsmacked at the avianoid Pokémon before smiling gratefully. With a final goodbye, the Lucario left the tent. Glyph stared at the spot where DJ had been and frowned.

"Take heart former human for trials await you," he said. "You will face hardships and loss, but you must not give into the darkness. If you do, then all will be lost."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Games?

"He's coming your way, Katara!" DJ shouted as a blur shot past him.

"I see him!" the Frogadier called back. She formed a orb of condensed water in her hands and threw it at the blur.

With a startled yelp, the blur was stopped in its tracks and sent flying through the air. Smashing to the ground the creature rolled several feet before coming to all fours. The Pokémon was long and weasel-like with beige fur, sharp claws, and bright blue eyes. A streak of brown ran from its snout to just before its tail and two streaks of the same color covered its eyes and traveled past its cheeks.

"It's over Liloone!" Katara shouted with DJ at her side. "Give up now!"

"Never!" the Liloone snarled. Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed to the side, attempting to break through the wooded brush and escape. He had just made it to the tree line when a flash of bright green shot out from the trees and flashed passed the Liloone. He froze for a second before falling to the ground, leaving a stoic, and slightly smug, Grovyle standing over him.

"Target neutralized," Leaf said, allowing his leaf blade to fade.

"Good job, Leaf," DJ commended, patting his teammate on the shoulder. "Katara, you call Magnezone and I'll find the stuff he stole. Leaf, are you okay with guarding Liloone until I find until Magnezone arrives?"

"It is no trouble, Alpha," Leaf said with a bow.

DJ rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, having grown accustom to his mannerisms. He closed his eyes and released a pulse of aura, allowing him to get a flash of the entire clearing. He had been diligently working to regain full use of his aura sight, but it had been slow going. Short bursts were all he could do without blinding himself due to his new sensitivity to aura.

"Jackpot." He made his way over to the tree and grabbed the bag, brushing aside the leaves that covered it. Reaching inside, he felt several orbs within its recesses. "One, two, three, and four," he counted. "That's all of them." He turned to inform his teammates to tell them when he saw both of them swiftly turn away from him.

DJ sighed. They all had been doing that for the past week. Ever since he came clean the team had treated him like glass. That he would just break someday and turn evil. They were constantly shooting him worried and cautious glances when they thought he wasn't looking. But he was and it hurt to see the small glimmers of fear directed towards.

This was one of the reasons why he did not tell them about what Glyph had said about what as happening to him. If he did, it would only increase their worry and potentially cause him to be locked away until something could be done to stop it. He did however tell them about the other legendaries, which was another part of the reason why he did not tell them what was happening to him.

When Tobias had been informed of the situation with the legendaries, his white face if possible became even whiter. He immediately called an emergency meeting with all of the teams that were part of the Gallade Guild. He informed them of them of the possibility that the legendaries had been corrupted and were dangerous. He also sent a message to the other guilds to tell them to be on alert as well. It was determined that the situation regarding the legendaries should be classed as a guild related problem, meaning that civilian Pokémon should not be made aware of these events and as such, the guilds would go about their business as usual. Some Pokémon were enlisted to attempt to learn the location of the corrupted legendaries however, though nothing had been learned.

DJ believed that everyone had enough to worry about without the added stress of one of their own potentially ending up like the legendaries they were trying to stop. He believed that the crystal Glyph had given him would keep him from falling over the line that would send him into the darkness that threatened to consume him. He kept it hidden under his power band, which he now wore as a scarf. He also had a bracelet on his right wrist which held his mega stone, though he still could not mega evolve.

Schooling his expression, DJ smiled widely. "I found the orbs," he called.

"Good work!" Katara said with a smile. "Officer Magnezone said he'll be here in ten minutes."

"Cool." DJ could see the a small level of guilt alight in her eyes, but said nothing. He knew that this would happen when he told his team about what was happening him and he had to deal with it. He had to.

-Legend-

Shortly after magnet area Pokémon left with the subdued Liloone, the trio returned to Miracle Town. However, when they arrived, the noticed something strange about the town.

There was an air of anxiousness in the air. Like everyone was waiting for something. Everyone was whispering excitedly with each other. From what the trio could glean from the broken whisperings there was _something_ going to happen soon. Unsure of what was going on, the trio headed back to the their guild house for answers.

"We're back," Katara called as she pushed open the star emblazoned door.

"Hey guys!" Jet greeted, leading them into the sitting room. "How was the mission?"

"Meh," DJ said with a shrug.

"Meh as in good or meh as in bad?" Grace asked.

"Meh?" DJ repeated, a cheeky smile splayed over his lips.

Grace sighed and shook her head fondly. "What are we going to do with you?"

Despite her happy attitude, DJ could feel the concern echoing through her emotions. Through all of there emotions. DJ pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind and tuned into the conversation that was going on around him.

"...and everyone seemed to be waiting for something," Katara finished.

"Yeah, I noticed the same thing," Blitz piped in. "Is something going on?"

"I'm not sure," Asura confessed. "There has been a lot of talk in the guild itself as well, but no one's said anything."

"I wonder what's going on," Jackson said pensively. "Do you think Guildmaster knows?"

"Probably. He knows practically everything that goes on in the town," Asura said.

"Well, not everything." Everyone jumped at Tobias' voice. Whipping around, the saw their guildmaster leaning against the door frame, an amused smirk stretching across his lips. "Didn't you mother tell you it's not nice to talk about people behind their backs?"

"Didn't she tell you it's not nice to drop in unannounced?" Asura said in an unimpressed voice.

"So cold! Look how he treats his father!" the Gallade exclaimed dramatically, causing the entire team to sweat-drop.

"How does he lead an entire guild again?" DJ whispered to Blitz, causing the yellow mouse to crack up. Asura silenced the two with a sharp glare before addressing his father.

"Why are you here?"

Tobias sobered up rather quickly, his face once more becoming serious. "I have come for two reasons," he said. "First of all, I would like to congratulate you all."

"For what?" Tobias smirked at the question.

"For reaching the next level," he grinned.

"Wait, you mean..." The blade Pokémon smirked in response.

"As of now, Team Stardust is officially a diamond rank team!"

The team was quiet for a second as Tobias' words sunk in. Then all at once, the exploded in thunderous cheers.

"S-Seriously?!" Blitz shouted in disbelief.

"We made diamond!" Bertha cheered.

"Awesome!" Jackson cried.

"Yes, yes. Congratulations all around," Tobias said, smiling at the team's enthusiasm before becoming serious once more. "But that is not all I'm here for." The team quieted down and turned their attention back on the elder Pokémon. "I also stopped by to tell you that there is a meeting at the guild set for ten minutes from now."

"A meeting?" Blade asked. "Does this have anything to do with the excitement of the town?"

"Very astute observation, Blade," Tobias grinned. "Anyway, I expect to see you all there." Not giving them time to ask any more questions, the Gallade left.

"He never answered my question," Blade grumbled.

"Don't pout, brother. It's unbecoming of you," Drake said.

"Quiet, you!" Blade snapped.

"I guess we should go find out what this is all about," Asura sighed.

-Legend-

Ten minutes later, Team Stardust found themselves among the entirety of the Gallade Guild. It still amazed them just how many Pokémon were part of the guild. The entire front of the guild was filled to the metaphorical brim with Pokémon. Even part of the bridge that connected the guild to the town was full.

A dull roar encompassed those assembled as they spoke to one another. Everyone was in a state of either excitement or nervousness over what the meeting could be about.

"Wow. It looks like everyone's here," Blitz said in amazement from his perch.

"Is there a reason you're standing on my head?" DJ asked in annoyance.

"I wanted to see everyone," Blitz said as if it were obvious.

"Get off." Blitz huffed, but complied and hopped off the blue canine's head.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Team Stardust," a familiar voice said. Turning, they were greeted with the sight of a Team Sunflare. Though they some of them looked different.

Collin, Max, and Kent, had all evolved to their final stage while John, Tyler, and Jesse looked significantly stronger. Their team exuded confidence. Not so much arrogance, more self-assured in their abilities.

"Collin," Asura said with a small nod.

"Geez, no need to be so cold, Asura. We're all friends here," the Blaziken said lightly. His gaze turned to DJ and his smile widened. "Hey, DJ. Looks like you evolved finally."

"Same could be said for you," DJ responded, high-fiving the fire-fighting type.

"We definitely have to spar at some point," Collin said.

"I couldn't agree more," DJ said with a challenging grin.

Katara just huffed at the two's antic's. "Fighting types."

"Hey, where's Michaela?" DJ asked, noticing the lack of Buneary among the team.

"She decided that adventuring wasn't for her so she decided to help Audrey out in the medical wing of the guild," Tyler answered.

DJ frowned when he felt a wave of unease emanate from the team at the, but didn't say anything. It was none of his business.

"I see you guys made diamond rank," John commented, noting their new badges that they wore. "Welcome to the club."

"You guys are diamond rank too?" Jackson asked.

"Yep, that makes three diamond rank teams in this guild."

"Three? Who is the other?" Leaf asked.

"That would be us," Garfield said as he and his team walked over to the two teams.

"Bro!" Blitz shouted as he leapt for the Raichu, only to meet said electric type's tail. The Pikachu slumped to the ground with a large red mark on his face. "Why?" he asked weakly.

"I see you all have made diamond rank as well. Congratulations," he said, ignoring his sulking brother. "It will be nice to not have all that pressure of being the only diamond rank on us."

"Aww, you evolved!" Katarina said, appearing in front of DJ, causing him to yelp. "You're not adorable anymore!"

"Sorry?" DJ said uncertainly.

"It's not your fault. It was bound to happen eventually," she sighed before a mischievous smile appeared over her face. "Though, you're still pretty cute."

"Uh..." DJ said dumbly, his face becoming red with embarrassment.

"And who are you?" Katara all but demanded, glaring sharply at the Zoroark.

"Oh, you don't know?" Katarina asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"We're Team Odd Squad!" Davis boasted, puffing out his chest. "The Gallade Guild's _first_ diamond rank team!"

"Careful, Davis. Your ego is showing," Alex commented dryly. The Togekiss whirled around glared at the Ninetails.

"Shut up!"

"Why don't you make me, bird-brain?" Alex challenged.

"Bring it, fuzz-butt!" Davis shot back.

"Are they seriously diamond rank?" Max whispered.

"Yep!" Blitz chirped having heard the question. "Bro's team's the best!"

"And don't you forget it," Garfield said in faux arrogance.

"That may not be the case anymore. Afterall, we're all diamond rank now," John said smugly.

"Yes and we've got more experience," Kimberly said.

"By only a few years!" Jesse pointed out.

"Still more than you~" Kimberly said in a singsong voice.

"Guys, Guildmaster Gallade's about to speak," Grace scolded, pointing to the front of the guild.

True to her words, Tobias had just stepped out of the guild building. He stopped a few feet from the assembled crowd and smiled proudly.

"My fellow Pokémon, I am pleased to see you all here before me!" he shouted, gaining everyone's attention. "Now, I can tell that you all are curious as to why I have called you all here today. It is because I have momentous news!" The crowd immediately broke into excited whispers at that.

"Momentous news?" one Pokémon asked.

"Ooh, I wonder what it could be!" another said.

"Does it have anything to do with the legendaries?" another nervously asked.

"Now, now. Everyone please settle down," Tobias called out, silencing the group once more. "Thank you. Now onto the news. I am pleased to announce that the Grand Guild Games are set to commence in one month's time!"

"The Grand Guild Games?!" a someone shouted.

"Is he serious?!"

All at once, everyone began talking animatedly with one another over the sudden bombshell. everyone was all in various states of disbelief and excitement. It appeared that the games were indeed a momentous announcement.

"Can you believe it? The games are starting again!" Blitz said, even more hyper than usual.

"I know, this is exciting!" Bertha said, equally thrilled.

"But in a time like this?" Asura questioned with a frown. "With everything that's going on?"

"Oh, lighten up," Jet said, slapping Asura on the back hard enough to make the Medicham stumble. Asura glared heatedly at the Floatzel but he ignored it.

"Um,what are the Grand Guild Games exactly?" DJ asked, clearly missing something.

"They're a large competition that involve guilds from all over the continent every ten years," Katara explained excitedly. "Each guild competes in series of events and the guild that wins the most events wins!"

"Whoa, a competition with all the guilds? That's incredible!" DJ gasped.

"It's a decennial event, meaning they occur every ten years," Asura added, still frowning. "I still don't see why they'd start them up again with all that's going on right now."

Before anymore could be said, Tobias raised his hand, calling for silence once more.

"Now I know that some of you are concerned over the timing of these games," -Tobias sent a meaningful look at his son as he said this- "but I assure you there is a reason. As you all know the situation regarding the legendaries is considered top secret among all non-guild Pokémon for if they knew, there would be panic. As such, they must believe that nothing is wrong.

"Now the games have been a tradition that everyone knows about, including civilians. If the games were to not be held on their scheduled date, civilians would assume that there was something wrong and they would attempt to find out what," Tobias explained. "It is imperative that everything appear to be normal."

"I guess that makes since," Asura grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Anyway!" Tobias said suddenly, clapping his hands. "With that out of the way, all that is left is to choose those that will represent our guild at the games."

"Choose?" DJ questioned. "You mean we're not all participating?"

"DJ, use your head," Asura scolded. "There are over a hundred of us in just this guild. It would be unfair to those guilds with less members."

"Well said, Asura," Tobias said, causing the meditate Pokémon to blush and scowl darkly at his father. The blade Pokémon brushed it off with a chuckle and addressed the crowd once more. "As my son so eloquently put it" -another round of blushing for Asura- "everyone cannot participate in the games. In fact, those in charge of the games have stated a that the required amount of members that each guild can send in is six."

"Only six?" Jet gasped in surprise. "How is he supposed to only choose six of us."

Many began whispering among themselves, mimicking Jet's sentiments. They were all curious of who Tobias was going to choose to represent their guild.

"I will say this now," Tobias began, drawing everyone's attention. "I have considered everyone and how they would fair in the games. Let it be said right now, the games are not for those of the faint of heart. The tasks that you will be asked to preform in will be exceedingly difficult. As such I have chosen the six members that I feel will be able to handle such tasks."

There was no whispering now. Everyone was hanging onto Tobias' every word with bated breath. All of them anxious to here who would be chosen among them all to compete in the games.

"When I call your name, please step forward." Tobias cleared his throat and gazed stoically at them all. "First to join the group of six that will represent us is...Collin!"

"Me?! Seriously?!" Collin asked in complete disbelief.

"Lucky son of a..." John grumbled under his breath.

"Well? Get up there!" DJ said, shoving his friend forward, causing said fire-fighting type to stumbled slightly. Collin sent a heated glare at the Lucario, who looked away innocently, and made his way forward.

"The second Pokémon that will join Collin is..." Tobias began. "Kimberly!"

"Really? Awesome!" the Swampert shouted in elation before joining her fellow guild member next to Tobias.

"Next is...Sobek!"

An arrogant snort drew DJ's attention behind him. He turned only to be practically shoved aside by a large red Pokémon. Stumbling slightly, DJ glared at the retreating red behemoth and saw that it was a large intimidating Krookodile. The intimidation Pokémon shot the Lucario a savage grin before continuing forward.

"Who's that?" DJ said with a barely concealed growl.

"That's Sobek," Grace answered, not even bothering to hid her distaste for the ground-dark type. "He's the leader of Team Dark Fang, a silver rank team. They would be ranked higher if not for their...methods."

"Methods?"

"They tend to be over aggressive in their missions and on several occasions they were reported to have threatened their clients," Grace said, scowling at the smug Krookodile.

"Seriously? Why would Guildmaster Gallade choose a guy like that?" DJ asked.

"Probably because, despite his results, he is strong. Probably one of the strongest in the whole guild," Grace said with reluctant admittance. DJ wanted to ask more, but was cut off by Tobias beginning to speak once more.

"The next one to join these three is...Asura!"

Team Stardust's leader's eyes widened in surprise before he schooled his expression and walked forward and DJ didn't need his emotion sense tell that Asura was proud. Unlike him, DJ heard many mutters of bias directed towards Asura as he walked forward. It was evident that many thought that the Medicham was chosen due to his relation to Guildmaster Gallade.

Tobias nodded towards his son before turning back to the rest of the large group. "The fifth Pokémon that I have chosen is...DJ!"

DJ's eyes practically popped out of his head and his mouth hit the floor. Almost robotically, DJ found himself moving through the crowd before standing next to his team leader. After a second, Asura sighed and elbowed the Lucario.

"You're representing not only Team Stardust, but the entire guild. Close your mouth for Arceus' sake!" DJ's mouth snapped shut and a bright blush burned his cheeks. He was saved from further embarrassment when Tobias spoke again.

"And the final Pokémon that will represent our guild is...Veil!"

There was silence before several Pokemen began to shift the side as a small figure waded through the hoards of Pokémon. Before them stood a small purple Pokémon with diamond eyes and several other gemstones poking from their chest and back.

The gem studded Pokémon stared at them, or more specifically, DJ. The former human felt an involuntary shiver crawl up his spine from the Sableye's unblinking stare. Despite no emotion coming from their jeweled eyes, it still felt like the Sableye was staring into his very soul. Silently judging him and his worth. It was very unnerving.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Sableye blinked and gave a _very_ sharp-toothed grin to the Pokémon before them.

"I am happy to have been chosen to represent our guild in the games," Veil said. There voice was the epitome of androgynous. It was impossible to determine if the ghost-dark type before them was male or female.

"That is good to hear," Tobias said kindly before turning back to face the rest of the teams. "Let us all give a big round of applause to our six representatives!"

The teams roared in approval, their voice echoing through all of Miracle Town. Despite several Pokémon being disappointed or angry over Tobias' decision, the overall excitement won out. All of those chosen subconsciously stood a little taller as they felt the assembled Pokémon before them cheering for them.

"Yes, these six will most definitely do us proud in the games!" Tobias said, over the roar of the crowd. He turned and smiled at the six he had chosen. "I recommend you six take this time to train until the games. As I said, these games will be extremely difficult. You will be going up against the best that each guild has to offer not to mention the trials of the games themselves. All of you will need to be as strong as possible and you must train to do so."

"Hmph. Some of us will have to train harder than others," Sobek smirked, sending a meaningful gaze towards DJ and Asura.

Tobias' gaze swiveled towards the Krookodile. "There will be none of that, Sobek," he said with a tone of finality. "Like it or not, you six are a team for the duration of the games. Your failures are the teams failures. Your successes are the teams successes. You will not, and I repeat, you will NOT insult or belittle your teammates. Is that clear."

"Crystal," Sobek grumbled reluctantly.

"Good. I had my reservations about choosing you for the games and I will not hesitate to pull you out should you go too far, so I want you on your best behavior." Sobek grumbled loudly and averted his gaze.

Tobias gave glared at him for a few seconds more before nodding. "I expect you all of you be on your best behaviors. You are representing our guild so give them a good impression."

"Yes, sir!" they all responded.

"Good. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. I expect to see you all in Gilded City for the games in one month." With that, the blade Pokémon turned on his heel and walked back into the guild building.

When Tobias was out of hearing range, Sobek turned to the other five and glared. "None of you better hold me back," he growled.

"Same could be said for you," Collin said with a glare.

"Hmph!" the bipedal crocodile huffed haughtily and stormed off to meet with his team.

"That guy gets on my nerves," Collin grumbled, glaring at Sobek's retreating back.

"Don't let him get to you," Asura said. "Like my father said, we are all a team, so we'll have to deal with him."

"Whatever. I'll talk to you guys later," the blaze Pokémon said before walking over to his team.

"Well, I better go too. The urge to rub this in Davis' face beckons me," Kimberly said with a mischievous grin. She gave the remaining Pokémon a friendly smile before walking off.

"We should head back too," Asura said. DJ nodded and made to follow his leader over to the rest of the team, but found his way blocked by Veil.

"Uhh..." DJ uttered, unsure of what to say. The Sableye's gaze was truly beginning to creep him out. "It's nice to be working with you?"

The darkness Pokémon stared at him for a few more seconds before they grinned widely. "Yes, it will be nice working with you. DJ the Lucario." Without another word, the Sableye seemingly disappeared into the shadows.

"Well that wasn't creepy," DJ muttered to himself before moving to follow Asura.

-Legend-

"I can't believe you two get to participate in the games!" Jet said excitedly once the team entered their guild house. "That's awesome!"

"It was a surprise to say the least," Asura commented dryly.

"Tauros crap. You two are like the strongest in the guild!" Blitz cried.

"There are plenty of Pokemen in the guild that are stronger than us," Asura denied.

"Well, they weren't chosen, now were they?" Blitz said slyly. "Between you and DJ's shining aura, we can't lose!"

"You do realize I can't control that, right?" DJ questioned.

"Details, details," Blitz said, waving off DJ's words. "There's no way our guild can lose!"

"Don't be too sure, Blitz. Each guild has their own aces," Bertha pointed out.

"That's true, there are others that are strong," DJ said, thinking about a certain Charmeleon. "If we want to win, we're going to have to train."

"Agreed," Asura said with a nod. "The other four chosen will most likely be doing the same. We cannot afford to bring them down."

"Speaking of the others, what do you guys know about Veil?" DJ asked.

"The Sableye? Honestly not much," Grace confessed. "I know he's part of Team Shadow Fall. As far as I know, there's only three of them."

"Seriously, only three of them in the team?!" Katara asked incredulously.

"Yeah. There's Veil, a Houndoom, and a Cofagrigus. I'm not sure of their names." Grace thought for a moment before shaking her head. "The only other thing I know about them is that they are a gold rank team." She pierced DJ with a calculating look. "Why do you want to know."

"I just wanted to know about my fellow combatants," DJ lied. In truth, he was still disturbed over the crypticness of the Sableye. Veil was an enigma, and an incredibly creepy one at that. His words, his stare, it all rubbed DJ the wrong way.

"Well regardless, they're a teammate along with Collin, Kimberly, and Sobek," Asura practically spat at the last name. "and we have to work with them if we want to win the games."

"Now all is left for you is to train," Drake said.

"Yeah, but I think my normal way of training will not be enough," Asura said.

"Asura?" Grace questioned.

"Up until now, I have been training by myself with the occasional spar, but I can't afford to do that now. Just look at DJ." He pointed to the Lucario as he said this. "He trained with Alistair and look how far he's come in such a short time. If I am to become more powerful, I'll need a mentor."

"That makes since," Jackson said. "but who will you train with?"

"I'm not sure," Asura confessed. "Maybe I'll ask father or-"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the door to their guild house being smashed to bits with a loud crash. The team jumped in shock as a Medicham barged into their house and glared at their leader.

"Asura!" the Medicham shouted, pointing angrily at the other Medicham. Their voice was feminine and had held a commanding tone.

"MOTHER?!" Asura shouted in surprise.

"I just heard that your father has enlisted you to compete in the Grand Guild Games, correct?" she all but demanded.

"Y-Yes," Asura stuttered, still in shock over his mother's sudden appearance.

The female Medicham nodded her head, her eyes never losing their intensity. "Then you are in need of training. I shall be your mentor!" .

"Huh?!" Asura said, thinking he misheard her. He gave a yelp when he found himself suddenly slung over his mother's shoulder. "Ack! Mother! Put me down!"

"No can do, sonny boy! We only have a month to get you in tip-top shape and there's not time to waste!" she declared enthusiastically. With that she ran to the broken door and leapt through it. "Onward! To victory!"

"GAH! Grace!" Asura called out. "You're in charge until I get back...!"

Silence.

"Uh, what just happened?" DJ asked in utter bewilderment.

"I believe our leader has been kidnapped," Leaf supplied.

"That's his mother?" Bertha asked, slack-jawed. "How the hell is Asura so serious if his parents are both nut jobs?!"

"Now that's not very nice," Alistair said as he stepped through the broken doorway. "I take it Angela did this?"

"If by Angela you mean Asura's mother then yes," Blade said, clucking disapprovingly at the shattered remains of their door.

"Yes well, she can be...overzealous," Alistair conceded.

"We didn't notice," Jet said dryly.

"Anyway, I am here for a reason, so I'll get down to it. DJ." He turned to his fellow Lucario. "I have come to offer you my assistance in preparation for the coming games."

"Cool," DJ said happily. "I was going to ask you too so-"

"However!" Alistair interrupted. "I believe that a training trip is in order."

"A training trip?" DJ questioned.

"Correct. Like I am sure Angela is doing for Asura, I am proposing that you and I leave Miracle Town for the month between now and the games and train."

"So you would be taking DJ for the entire month?" Katara questioned.

"That's correct," Alistair said with a nod. "I believe that this would be the best way to use our time efficiently."

"So we'd have another missing team member," Grace grumbled. She noticed DJ's almost pleading look and sighed. "Fine. You can go."

"Alright!" DJ said jumping for joy.

"I warn you now, this training will not be like before," Alistair warned. "You will hurt. You will be pushed to your very limits. You may even curse my very name by the end of this training, but I promise you, you will be stronger."

DJ swallowed thickly, but didn't look any less as determined. "Say what you want. You won't scare me away!"

Alistair grinned wickedly. "Then let's get going."

"What? Already?!" DJ exclaimed.

"Of course. As I said, I want to utilize our time efficiently, so we must begin your training as soon as possible," Alistair said. "You won't need to bring anything, so it's best to head out while it's still light."

"Okay then," DJ said, his eyes regaining their determined fire. "Let's go then."

"Be safe, DJ," Katara said suddenly, wrapping her arms around her friend in a hug.

DJ was startled at first before he returned the hug. "I will."

"Make sure to come back strong!" Jackson said.

"We have a lot riding on you and Asura so train hard!" Jet added.

"We are expecting results, so don't slack off," Blade said.

"If you come back weak, I'll smash you!" Bertha threatened good-naturedly.

"Yeah, you better train hard or I'll shock you!" Blitz said, lightning sparking from his cheeks.

"You will be representing not only our guild, but our team as well. Do us proud," Grace said with a smile.

Both Leaf and Drake stayed silent, but nodded encouragingly at the aura Pokémon.

DJ felt his eyes misting a little, but quickly blinked them clear. "I'll make you guys proud. I promise!"

Katara relinquished her grip and smiled at her friend. "You better make good on your promise."

"Don't I always?" DJ asked cheekily.

Katara snorted and back away. Alistair came up and placed a paw on DJ's shoulder and smiled. "Are you ready?"

DJ smirked in response. "Do you have to ask?"

"Then let us depart." With that, the two Lucario left Team Stardust's guild house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

One Month Later

A month came and went and it was now time for the Grand Guild Games to commence. All over Miracle Town, Pokémon young and small were bustling around with renewed vigor and excitement. Not only that, but Pokémon were leaving in droves towards Gilded City for the games and it wasn't just the townspeople.

Exploration teams were just as excited over the games if not more so than the citizens. Even the situation regarding the legendaries seemed to be almost non-existent with all the anticipation over the games. Despite not being participants in the games, they still felt the desire to show their support for those chosen. Guildmaster Gallade had even given his teams' time off so that they could go and support their representatives. Team Stardust was no different.

"Come on guys, I want to be on the road by dusk!" Grace called out all while bustling around the guild house.

"Yes, mom!" Jet shouted back playfully.

"Watch it, mister!" Grace snapped back, rolling her eyes fondly.

"I still don't see why we're in such a hurry. The games don't start 'til tomorrow night and it takes half a day to get there. We could just leave tomorrow!" Blitz complained loudly.

"And get stuck in the hordes of Pokémon that will be of the same mind? I think not!" Grace exclaimed incredulously. "I already sent Blade and Drake to reserve our rooms for the duration of the games and they said that the streets are already packed! So, hurry up!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Blitz relented.

"Hey what about Asura and DJ?" Jackson asked.

"I got a letter from Asura stating that he would meet us at Gilded City, but DJ..." Grace paused in her packing. "I haven't heard anything from him or Alistair."

"He still hasn't said anything?" Katara asked worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine," Grace said quickly, noticing the Frogadier's anxiousness.

"But if he's not back in time..." Katara murmured.

"Have faith in Alpha," Leaf said. "It is _highly_ unlikely that he will miss such an event."

"Not to mention there is no way Alistair would let him forget," Bertha added.

Katara nodded her head, but still didn't look convinced. "Maybe they got back and just forgot to check in with us. They could be at Alistair's house..."

Grace sighed exasperatedly, knowing that Katara would not be consoled unless she had something to occupy her time and packing would not be enough. "You may go and check, BUT!" Grace suddenly shouted as Katara made to bolt out of the house. "you must be back before dusk. Understood?" she asked seriously.

"Understood!" Katara agreed eagerly, bouncing fervently in place.

"Then go..." The words had barely left the shiny Mawile's mouth when Katara practically disappeared from the room. The slamming of a door was the only thing that signified the bubble frog departure.

Silence.

"She's got it bad," Jackson said, breaking the silence.

"Definitely," Blitz agreed.

-Legend-

Katara ran at full speed through Miracle Town towards Alistair's home. She weaved in and out of crowds with graceful ease, occasionally spouting out greetings as she ran by. Once she had gotten through the majority of the crowds of Pokémon she was met with what felt like a ghost town.

Shop owners were still present in their establishments, but there were hardly any Pokémon in the streets. On a normal day, they were all but packed with Pokémon, even in the winter. Now, on the other hand, there was no one in the streets. No talking. No laughing. No children running around without a care. Nothing.

Normally, this would have been very disconcerting to Katara, but she knew that it was all in preparations for the games. It just went to show not only the popularity of the games, but the support that the town had for their guild, so, despite the town being almost empty, it didn't feel that way. It still felt as warm and inviting as ever.

Katara smiled to herself at this thought and continued on her way, hoping that her friend had gotten home. She was so focused on her task she did not notice the group of Pokémon following her.

"Is that her?" one of the Pokémon asked.

"Obviously. There aren't any other Frogadier here in Miracle Town!" another snapped.

"Both of you, shut up before you give us away!" the apparent leader snapped. "You all know what we're here to do, right?"

"Duh."

"Of course. What do you take us for?"

"Uh..."

The leader groaned in annoyance. "You bumbling idiot!"

"Sorry..." the Pokémon mumbled.

"Ugh. We're going to kidnap her and use her to lure both Asura and DJ away from the tournament," they said slowly as if talking to a child.

"Okay... Why?"

"You idiotic-!" The speaker appeared to have to physically stop themselves from physically throttling their associate. Once they had calmed themselves, they fixed the 'idiot' with a hard stare. "Because, with those two out of the way, Guildmaster Gallade will have no choice but to choose new members to take part in the games!"

"And...?"

" _And_ he will have no choice but to choose from the team that will have the best chance to win the games for our guild!" At their teammate's blank stare, the leader smacked their face. "Us," they clarified.

"Oh!" the other exclaimed in understanding, then they frowned. "But kidnapping is wrong? We are exploration team, right?"

"It's not kidnapping. It's escorting a reluctant client."

"Oh, okay."

"Now we've wasted enough time," the leader said. "Now let's get her!"

-Legend-

Katara finally made it to Alistair's house and was disappointed to see that it was dark inside. Still feeling optimistic, she knocked loudly on the door. When no one answered she knocked again, louder than before. She waited for a solid five minutes before she sighed in defeat. They weren't back.

She had known that it was a long shot, but she wanted her friend back. She had never been away from the former human for so long and she admitted it, she was a little anxious. She had hoped that she would get at least some reassurance that DJ was alright.

Not that she doubted his abilities, especially since he had Alistair with him, but she worried. He was the first friend she ever made and he had become a constant in her life with Team Stardust and no matter how powerful he became, she would always worry.

With those thoughts swirling in her mind she sighed depressedly. No matter how much she worried it wouldn't make a difference because it was out of her hands. She would never be able to help him. She wasn't stupid. She knew of the wide power gap that had erupted between them. In the past, she would have been able to watch the former human's back in a fight, but now...

Now he dwarfed her in sheer power and skill. The Pokémon that had originally been human had become stronger than her, who had been a Pokémon her entire life. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't just a little bit peeved over this fact, but she could never be angry with the big blue jackal. He was her friend and would always have her back no matter what. It was just...she would no longer be able to have his back after everything they have been through.

"Well, well, well. What _do_ we have here?" Katara jumped at the sudden voice. She quickly brushed the tears that she hadn't realized had begun to fall and spun around.

"Team Demolition?" she asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just picking up something," Gozer said sinisterly.

"Um...Gozer," Smash 'whispered', though it was loud enough for Katara to hear. "Smash thought we take blue frog for...ran-som."

The pumpkin Pokémon turned and gave the Nidoking a 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "Yes you idiot! I was being coy!" she yelled, smacking the larger Pokémon across the face.

"What do you mean by taking me as ransom?" Katara demanded, getting in a defensive stance.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rocky sneered. "We're taking you with us and using you to get what we want."

"And what is that?" Katara asked, eyes roaming over the area for any possible escape route.

"A place on the team at the games," Kane said arrogantly.

Katara's eyes widened in surprise and realization. "You want to use me to get Asura and DJ!"

"Bingo!" Gozer said in false cheeriness. "Tell her what she's won, Jack!"

"You've won an all expense paid trip with us to an excluded location!" the Diggersby said with a sadistic smile.

"No thanks," Katara growled out angrily.

"Oh, please. You may be part of a diamond rank team, but there's no way you can beat us all. Especially considering that you're the weakest member!" Scar scoffed arrogantly.

Katara barely hid a wince at the Skarmory's words. _He's right, I am weak,_ she thought depressedly. _There was no way that I can fight six Pokémon, especially six Pokémon that are part of another diamond rank. I'm not like the others. I'm not strong, but even so_...

Katara's body tensed and her gaze hardened to steel.

 _Even so, I refuse to give up. I'm a proud member of Team Stardust and I'll be damned if I go down without a fight!_

"Oh, look at that! The little girl wants to fight!" Gozer jeered.

"I don't care how many of you there are or how strong you are and how week I am, but know this. I. Will. Never. GIVE UP!" Katara said, her voice raising until she was roaring. "I AM A PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM STARDUST AND I WON'T BACK DOWN!"

Team Demolition was taken aback by Katara's words. They were shocked by the determination and passion in her voice. The shock was then quickly broken by Gozer laughing obnoxiously.

"That...that was...the most pathetic thing I've ever heard!" she laughed. She then looked at Katara with eyes full of malice. "Look, just do yourself a favor and give up now. I promise that we'll make it easier for you."

"Haven't you been listening? I won't give up!" Katara exclaimed.

"Hmph. I tried," Gozer said with a nonchalant shrug. She turned to her team and grinned sadistically. "Take her!"

Team Demolition grinned evilly at the Frogadier, malicious intent prevalent in their gazes. Even so, Katara held her ground. She meant what she said and even if she couldn't beat them, she refused to back down.

Getting tired of waiting, the Skarmory lunged towards Katara, his talons poised to grab the water type. Katara stared down the steel-flying type as he dove forward, her eyes narrowed. Scar got closer and closer until he was just a hair's breath away. She tensed and brought her arm back, allowing flying type energy to encompass her hand and form a blade, but right before either of them could make a move, a blue blur rocketed into existence and appeared in between the two.

Both Pokémon's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of this mystery figure. Scar tried to stop himself, but felt a paw grab his leg. Before he knew what was happening, he was sent flying across the street. Katara, unable to stop her attack, she continued with the motion only to have a paw grip her wrist.

"Ah, come on, Katara. I haven't seen you in a month and you try and attack me? Now that stings!" Katara's eyes widened as she recognized the teasing voice. Looking up at the one holding her wrist and saw a familiar blue-eyed Lucario smiling cheekily at her.

"DJ?" The Lucario grinned.

"The one and only," he grinned. "So, how are things?"

Katara didn't know whether to cry in happiness or hit him for worrying her, so she did both.

"GAH! What'd I do?!" DJ cried out, trying to fend off the crying Frogadier's half-hearted punches.

"You...You...JERK!" she cried, pounding on the Lucario's chest before hugging him tightly, mindful of his spike. "I-We were all worried about you! You never contacted us!"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. The training got really intense and both of us kind of lost track of time," DJ said sheepishly.

"Fighting types," Katara grumbled, rolling her eyes fondly.

"Hey, I'm part steel type too," DJ said with a cheeky smile.

"Well, this works out," Gozer said, reminding Katara that Team Demolition was still there. The grass-ghost type was smirking at them with vindictive glee. "Now that you're here, DJ, we an take care of you and take be one step closer to joining the games!"

"So how have things been here?" DJ asked, completely ignoring Gozer.

"H-Hey!" Gozer blanched. "Didn't you hear me?!"

"I bet you guys had some awesome adventures while I was gone," DJ said, still ignoring the now fuming Gourgeist.

"Hey! She talking to you! Listen!" Smash shouted.

DJ turned and glared at the Nidoking. "Sir! I am trying to have a conversation with my friend!" he said evenly.

"Oh. Smash apologizes," Smash said in a apologetic voice. The hulking Pokémon then frowned before a look of anger masked his face. "No, not sorry. You-"

"Sir!"

 **Wham!**

Smash was cut off when DJ suddenly appeared in front of him and buried his fist into the Nidoking's stomach.

The drill Pokémon gasped and spluttered, unable to take in air. He hunched over in pain, clutching his stomach, before he fell to his knees, his torso being held aloft by DJ's fist. The rest of Team Demolition was openly gaping as their strongest member was literally brought to his knees from a single punch. Katara was in a similar state of shock.

 _Holy Arceus! I barely saw him move!_ Katara inwardly gaped.

DJ, oblivious to the shocked looks he was getting, glared at the barely conscious behemoth on his fist. "You should really learn manners." With a grunt, DJ uncurled his fist and formed an aura sphere. In a flash of light and a loud boom, Smash was sent flying. The Nidoking crashed to the ground and lost consciousness. DJ gazed blankly at the Nidoking's unconscious form before turning back to Team Demolition. "Anyone else?"

"You...little brat!" Rocky shouted before charging towards the Lucario.

"Rocky, don't!" Gozer warned, but the megaton Pokémon ignored her.

As the Golem ran -which was a rather comical sight in itself- he curled up into a ball and dash towards the fighting-steel type at increased speed. Just as Rocky was about to slam into the aura Pokémon, DJ kicked the speeding boulder, sending him into the air. Arcing high in the air, Rocky could do nothing but flail wildly.

Grinning to himself, DJ kicked off into the air and practically flew towards the helpless Golem. The spikes of DJ's paws glowed and stretched into metallic claws. DJ flew past the rock-ground type, trails of silver lighting trailing behind him and over the Golem's rocky shell. Rocky's mouth was open in a silent cry of pain, his eyes wide and his pupils narrowed into dots. Turning in mid-air, DJ formed an aura sphere in his paws and fired it at the airborne Golem.

One explosion later, Rocky plummeted to the ground like a meteor and smashed into the ground, forming a small crater. When the smoke cleared, Rocky could be seen with swirls in his eyes.

"Damn you!" Scar shouted before peeling off towards the still airborne Lucario, his wings glowing with white energy.

DJ watched calmly as the Skarmory flew towards him at high speeds. At the very last second, he pivoted his body, allowing him to avoid the attack by a very small margin. As Scar passed by, DJ reached out and grabbed the steel-flying type by his leg.

Scar squawked as his flight was suddenly halted by a harsh pull. Before he could recover, DJ twisted his body and threw the Skarmory towards the ground. Tumbling through the air, Scar was unable to catch himself before he slammed into the ground. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, Scar was unprepared for DJ suddenly landing on his back.

Rearing his arm back, a bright orange light swirled around the former humans fist before he smashed it into the armored bird's face. Scar shrieked in pain and outrage, but was helpless to stop another power-up punch from slamming into his face. DJ punched the Skarmory several more times, each punch becoming stronger and stronger, before the armor bird Pokémon lost consciousness.

The remaining three members of Team Demolition looked on in horror as half of their team was taken down in less than two minutes by a lone Pokémon. They were just beginning to contemplate running away when the Lucario got up and looked at them with an unreadable expression.

"Well, are you going to run?" he asked, his tone bored and slightly challenging. This apparently set off something in Gozer as her face burned red with anger.

"Like hell!" she shouted in indigent fury. "Kane, Jack, get him!"

The two remaining males looked at one another then Gozer in disbelief. "You can't be serious, Gozer," Jack said.

"He just beat Smash, Rocky, and Scar in seconds! We can't beat him!" Kane added.

"If you don't get over there and fight that brat then you'll be dealing with me!" the pumpkin Pokémon threatened. The duo looked at each other once more before, seemingly resigning to their fate. Without further hesitation, they charged towards DJ.

Kane reached the bipedal jackal first and reared back one of his fists for a punch. Roaring wildly, Kane sent a vicious haymaker, coated in a frigid cold energy, towards DJ's skull. However, before he could make contact, DJ leaned his head out of the way and grabbed the Machamp's wrist as his fist flew past him.

Eyes wide in surprise, Kane tried to pull his arm out of the Lucario's paw, but found the fighting-steel type's grip was as strong as his secondary typing. Unable to pull his arm away, Kane brought back the arm opposite to the one in DJ's grip and sent a thunder punch at the Lucario. Just like with the first punch, DJ ducked out of the way and grabbed the outstretched arm.

Kane growled angrily when his second arm was captured before he smirked evilly. "You've run out of arms, but I still have two!"

With that, Kane brought his lower arms back. Twin gray orbs of energy surrounded the superpower Pokémon's remaining two fists. With a vindictive grin, Kane sent two powerful mega punches towards the Lucario's stomach.

Just as the two punches were about to hit the aura Pokémon, DJ jumped into the air and flipped over the fighting type, still keeping a tight grip on the gray Pokémon's arms. Twisting the arms in his grip, DJ planted his feet against the four armed Pokémon's back and pulled.

"GAH!" Kane cried out in pain as his arms were pulled behind him. He struggled to pull his arms back, but the combined effort of DJ pulling his arms and pushing his feet into the fighting type's back was too much for even the superpower Pokémon to handle. He tried to grab the Lucario with his other hands, but couldn't reach the Lucario. Instead, he was forced to kneel as the pain increased.

"Hang in there, Kane!" Jack shouted before swiping one of his long ears across the ground, forming several globs of mud that hurtled towards the former human. Seeing the attack, DJ loosened his grip on Kane's arms and kicked of his back, leaving nothing to stop the mud-slap from slamming into the Machamp's unprotected back.

"ARGH!" Kane shouted in pain from the attack and fell forward.

"Sorry!" Jack shouted, horrified that he had hit his teammate. He turned to glare at DJ, who had just landed and behind him. "Damn you!"

The Diggersby smashed his large ears into the ground and lifted himself up in a show of impressive strength before kicking backwards with both his feet. DJ quickly backed away from the double kick before dashing forward just as fast to deliver a power-up punch into the digging Pokémon's stomach.

Jack gasped as the air was pushed out of his lungs and went tumbling across the ground. Just as he started to push himself back to his feet, DJ appeared before him and hit him with yet another power-up punch, sending him back to the ground.

DJ raised his fist to deliver another swift punch when he was forced to move out of the way to dodge a large sphere of yellow energy with a halo of the same color around it. Glancing in that direction, he saw Kane standing there, panting with his arms outstretched and a gobsmacked expression on his face. Before he could react, DJ was in front of him.

"Hi," DJ said with a grin.

Kane opened his mouth, most likely to spew some insult towards the blue-eyed Lucario, but before he could say anything he was coughing harshly with DJ's orange glowing fist buried in his abdomen. Kane fell to his knees, all for hands clutching his gut and looked up at DJ with a look of horror etched onto his face. DJ looked down at his fellow fighting type with an unreadable expression. He lifted his paw to the Machamp's face, causing the gray-skinned Pokémon to go cross-eyed to keep it in view. Kane could only gaze in helplessness as an aura sphere began to form in the Lucario's paw. As the orb reached average size, DJ suddenly leapt back just as the ground underneath him cracked and broke.

Jack burst out of the ground, surprised when he didn't find the Lucario above him. This surprise turned to shock when he felt something grab his ear and spin him around. Before he even knew what was happening, Jack was sent flying into the Machamp, sending them both falling to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs.

"Hey, get off me!" Kane shouted angrily, struggling to push the hulking ground-normal type off of him.

"I'm trying you lump!" Jack responded angrily.

Both of them stopped arguing when a bright light crept into their vision. Turning, they saw DJ was still had the aura sphere in his paw and pushing more and more energy into it. They both visibly gulped as the aura sphere reached the size of a Voltorb.

"Thanks for playing," DJ said before letting the aura sphere fly.

 **BOOM!**

An explosion engulfed the duo, hiding their forms from view. When the smoke and dust cleared the air, the duo could be seen laying in a crater, both of them unconscious.

"I-Impossible," Gozer stuttered in horror over her team being demolished so easily. By a single Pokémon no less. Hearing her voice, DJ turned towards the grass-ghost type and she panicked. "S-Stay away from me!"

She began to back up only for DJ to suddenly appear in front of her, startling her. "F-Fast," she whispered in horror.

"I don't appreciate those that threaten my friends," DJ said coldly, his blue eyes as frigid as his voice.

"I-I'm sorry," Gozer tried, but DJ glared.

"No, you're not. You're sorry that you got caught. You're a disgrace to Gallade's Guild. When you joined this guild, you had an obligation; an obligation to help Pokémon yet you would go as far as kidnapping a fellow guildmate over something as trivial as a competition. You make me sick." Gozer looked officially cowed as the former human verbally dressed her down, though it was mostly out of fear. "But don't worry, I won't tell Guildmaster Gallade about this."

Gozer's head shot up in surprise. "Y-You won't?" she asked, a hopeful tone edging into her voice.

"No, but when you wake up, I expect you to think long and hard about what I've said," DJ said.

"Wake up?" Gozer questioned with a frown. In a flash, DJ raised his arm, a metal claw spouting from the spike on his arm, and slashed the Gourgeist. A second passed before Gozer fell backwards, unconscious.

When Gozer passed out, DJ sighed. "Well...that was exciting," he said dryly. He then turned to a shell-shocked Katara and smiled. "So...what's all been going on here while I was gone?"

Katara didn't answer. She just stared at her friend open-mouthed.

 _What...What was that?!_ Katara thought to herself. _He took out all six of them and he doesn't even look tired._

"Uh...Katara?" DJ asked.

 _He moved so fast, I could hardly see him,_ she said to herself, completely ignorant to her friends worry. _He wasn't using extreme speed either. Was that...Was that his natural speed?_

"Kataaaaara."

 _He became so strong in such a short amount of time,_ she continued. _How can I possible compare to-_

"KATARA!" The Frogadier jumped when DJ suddenly shouted in her ear.

"What the hell, DJ?!" she shouted, slugging him in the arm.

"Ouch! Sorry, but you were spaced out!"

"Oh, sorry," Katara apologized, a blush warming her cheeks.

"It's fine," DJ waved off her apology. "Anyway, how's the team?"

"The team... Crap! I came here to see if you were back and I'm supposed to get back before dusk!" Katara exclaimed.

"Well, there's not a moment to lose! Let's go!" DJ shouted before grabbing Katara's hand and pulling her through the streets, oblivious to the blush now covering the bubble frog Pokémon's entire face.

 _He's gotten so strong. So much stronger than me,_ she thought depressedly. _He's already left me behind. How can I even stand by him anymore._

Her off hand clenched and her eyes burned with a new fire. _Then I'll get stronger!_ She looked at her friend with renewed determination. _I promise you, DJ. I will get stronger!_

 **Author's Note:**

First off, thank you for baring with me while I dealt with exams and other stuff. I do appreciate your patience. Next, before people start saying that DJ has become too powerful in such a short period of time, I would like to point out that, despite them being a diamond rank team, Team Demolition really is not that strong. If you look back to chapter eight of my first Team Stardust story, Team Odd Squad beat Team Demolition with relative ease and any of them could have beaten the entire team. Considering that Team Stardust is now a diamond rank as well, it would stand to reason that they would be close, if not on par, with Team Odd Squad in terms of strength. In all honesty, Katara could have taken out a good number of them before she was overwhelmed. Also, DJ caught them off guard with his surprise appearance and quick reactions, allowing him to beat three of them before they could get serious. Anyway, thank you for you continued support and feel free to leave reviews. AuraFighter, signing out.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Meet and Greet

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No!"

"Are we there yet?"

"NO!"

After DJ's resurface, Team Stardust, minus Asura, began their journey to Gilded City, all of them pumped for the upcoming games. Their journey was relatively peaceful, having being able to avoid the mystery dungeons that sprouted up between Miracle Town and Gilded City. It would have been a nice trip if only...

"Are we there _yet_?" Blitz asked again.

"Blitz, I swear to Arceus, if you ask that again..." Bertha trailed off, waving her bone threateningly.

"But this is _booooring_ ," Blitz whined. "We could have gone through a dungeon or something..."

"And be delayed indefinitely?" Grace questioned sardonically.

"It wouldn't have taken us _that_ long," Blitz huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. "I haven't had a good fight in week and I won't get the chance while the games are happening!"

"Geez, you're worse than DJ. No offense," Jet said quickly to the Lucario.

"None taken," DJ said with a shrug. "I can relate to how Blitz's feeling. I can't wait to fight some new Pokémon!"

"Didn't you get your battle lust satisfied while training with Alistair?" Katara said dryly with a hint of fondness coloring her voice.

"Nope," DJ said happily, popping the 'p'. "Fighting the same foe over and over again gets stale after a while, despite not winning against said foe."

"You never beat Alistair?" Jet asked.

"I came close a few times, but no," DJ admitted. "He's got _years_ of fighting experience over me. I'm getting there, but I'm not at his level left."

"That was oddly profound coming from you," Leaf commented.

"Hey!" DJ shouted in indignation. "I can be profound!"

"Sure you can," Blade said dryly, rolling his eyes as he did so.

"Anyway, it will be nice to fight others on my own skill level," DJ growled, switching subjects.

"Tired of losing?" Blitz asked smugly.

"Quiet, spark plug," DJ snapped.

"What's a plug?" Blitz asked.

"Don't worry about it," DJ said.

"Right..." Blitz was silent for few more minutes. "Are we there yet!"

"That's it. I'm killing him!" Bertha took a step towards the Pikachu, a look of murderous intent burning in her eyes.

"We're here!" Grace shouted before Bertha could kill her teammate. Turning away from her quarry, Bertha and the team looked ahead and looked over the hill the were currently residing on.

After living in a big place like Miracle Town, the team thought they would be prepared for how large the city would be. They were mistaken.

If Miracle Town was big, Gilded City was vast. From their viewpoint, the could see the entire city was paved with clean cut stone. The many homes and establishments littered the city with potted bushes with flowers coloring the green with an array of color. There were a few canals that spiderwebbed across the city, each with small bridges that allowed passage over them. Even from so far away, they could see hordes of Pokémon roaming around the city, most clearly there for the games.

"Hey, what's that?" DJ pointed a little ways past the city.

Quite a ways away from the city, at the end of a winding path that lead out of the city, was a structure. It was large, almost ridiculously so, and cylindrical in shape. They could not see much from where they were, but the building appeared to be littered with holes of some kind.

"That's the stadium," Grace answered.

"The stadium?"

"The one you'll be fighting in?" Jet implored.

"Oh. Right," DJ said sheepishly.

"Seriously, how did you save the world?" Jet scoffed good-naturedly.

"Let's just go," DJ grumbled, pointedly ignoring the smirking Floatzel.

-Legend-

Like they had seen, the streets were packed with Pokémon of all shapes, sizes, and colors. There were several stalls littered throughout the city selling various wares and foods. Entering the city, the team was buffeted with all the color and vibrancy of the city. They could see what appeared to be golden inlays in the borders of the surrounding buildings. The flowers seemed to glow in the sunlight and their fragrance wafted through the city. Even the streets seemed to glimmer with some unseen light. It was clear why it was called _Gilded_ City.

"Wow," Katara gaped. "This place is huge!"

"And bright," DJ added.

"It's about time you guys got here," a voice rung out. The team turned towards the voice and saw their leader walking over to them.

"Asura! It's been a while," Grace said, smiling at the Medicham.

"It has," Asura said, returning the smile. He gaze turns to the former human. "I hope you've gotten stronger this past month."

"Of course, what do you take me for?" DJ asked rhetorically.

Asura smirked at that. "Good. I would hate for you to bring shame to Team Stardust."

"Geez, after all this time, you're still a self-absorbed asshole," DJ jeered playfully.

"And you're still an idiot," Asura shot back with a challenging smirk.

"And you're both hilarious," Jet jumped in, with a cheeky smirk.

"You guys are idiots," Blade groaned.

"What was that?" Asura asked, his tone becoming frigid.

"N-Nothing!" Blade yelped.

"That's what I thought," Asura chuckled before turning back to DJ. "Anyway, each team has been an assigned a room at an inn where we will receive further instruction regarding the games."

"When do we need to be at the inn?" DJ asked.

"Dusk."

"Cool. I'm going to go exploring. Cya!"

"Wait, DJ-!" Before anyone could stop him, the aura Pokémon scampered off. Unfortunately, he did not get far before he bumped into something.

"Oof!" DJ fell back onto his rear having bounced off of whatever he hit. Glancing up he saw that it had been a rather tall blue and black Pokémon that appeared to be avian in nature and stood on two feet. "Oh! Sorry about that."

The Pokémon turned, revealing a golden beak adorned on its face that stretched up their face and ended in a three points. They had a white chest with a fin-like protrusion that went up its belly to its neck where it became a collar of sorts. The large bipedal bird regarded the Lucario with a piercing look before they smiled.

"It's no problem," the Pokémon said kindly, their voice distinctly male. He reached out a wing/flipper down to the Lucario to help him up. DJ smiled sheepishly and accepted the help.

"Thanks," DJ said gratefully. "Again, sorry about that."

"It's really no problem," the Pokémon insisted. "I wouldn't be where I am today if I couldn't take a hit or two."

"You're part of a guild then?" DJ asked curiously.

The Pokémon seemed to puff out slightly. "Yep. I am one of the representatives from the Wigglytuff Guild."

"Really? Cool!" DJ exclaimed. "I'm one of the representatives of the Gallade Guild."

"Well it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Wave and as you can tell, I'm an Empoleon." Wave extended a flipper.

"Nice to meet you. I'm DJ. A Lucario." DJ meets Wave's flipper and shakes it with his paw. They both smile at the other before a look of pain flashes across Wave's face and he hunches over slightly.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" DJ asked concernedly, startled by the Pokémon's sudden change.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Wave assures rather poorly. "Just a stomach ache. It'll fade soon..."

The Empoleon trails off as his eyes go unfocused, his gaze fixed on the ground without actually _seeing_ it. After a second or two, his eyes come back into focus and he stands up again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" DJ asked worriedly.

"Yeah. It passed." Wave tried to smile weakly. "It happens from time to time. Nothing to worry about."

DJ frowned and looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't get to as a sharp blow impacted against the back of his head.

"Ow!" he yelped more out of surprise than actual pain. Turning he was met with a glaring Frogadier.

"Why the hell did you just run off like that?!" she demanded. "You didn't even give Asura a chance to tell you the name of the inn or the fact that you needed to report to the inn at sundown! Which, by the way, is in two hours!"

"Whoops?" DJ tried to smile sheepishly at the water type, but it fell when he saw the withering glare from his friend.

"You are unbelievable," Katara sighed. She then took notice to Wave and her personality changed almost scarily fast from angry to happy. "Sorry about my friend here. He can be a handful at times."

"Hey!" DJ shouted indignantly, but what unheeded.

"It's no problem," the emperor Pokémon assured his fellow water type. "I'm Wave by the way."

"Katara," she greeted before glaring at DJ. "Come on, you"

She then reached out and tugged harshly on the Lucario's ear. "GAH! Katara!" DJ shouted in protest, garnering looks from the Pokémon around them.

"Sorry to leave so abruptly, but I have to show this one to the hotel," Katara said sweetly to the Empoleon, not even reacting to the fighting-steel type's cries.

"I understand," Wave said with a nervous smile. A sweat-drop rolled down the back of his head. "I'll see you guys later."

Katara smiled and began to tug the Lucario behind her as she navigated through the thoroughly amused crowd, seemingly taking no notice to her friend's complaints. Once the duo were out of sight, Wave's smile fell and was replaced by a look of pensiveness.

"You okay, Wave?" Wave turned and saw an Infernape walking towards him, a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine Blaze, it's just..." Wave trailed off, glancing back towards where the two members of Team Stardust had gone.

The fire-fighting type frowned confusedly at Wave. "I don't understand, did something happen?"

"...Kind of. I just met a fellow competitor and when I touched him..."

"Your Dimensional Scream?" the Infernape questioned.

"..." Wave nodded silently.

"What did you see?" the Infernape asked.

"I'm not really sure," Wave admitted. "Whatever it was...it will end in badly."

-Legend-

"You didn't need to drag me by the ear," DJ pouted at his compatriot.

Katara just rolled her eyes at her friend. "Well, you shouldn't have been an idiot."

"I was just exploring," DJ scoffed, folding his arms. "What's the harm in that?"

"The harm is that you wouldn't have been able to your meeting point!" Katara snapped.

"I would have found them," DJ argued. "I _do_ have aura sight."

Katara paused. "You can use that again?"

"Yep. That was one of the first things Alistair helped me with during our training trip."

Katara regarded her friend's seemingly carefree attitude with a calculating gaze. She already knew that DJ had gotten powerful while he was away, if his fight with Team Demolition was any indication. That being said, she couldn't help but wonder just how strong DJ had become. What had he learned from Alistair and just what was he capable of.

She glanced at the bracer on the former human's wrist. The orange orb with the red and blue symbol glistened in the sunlight. She had seen DJ wearing the mega stone since he had evolved, but he had never been able to use it. Could he possibly...

"Hey, what's going on over there?" DJ's voice snapped Katara out of her musings. Looking towards where the Lucario was pointing she saw that a small circle had formed in the middle of the road.

Curious, the duo pushed their way through the crowd and saw several Pokémon strewn on the street, surrounding a Charizard. The Charizard was glaring superiorly over the downed Pokémon and released a large gout of flames into the air.

"What's going on?" Katara asked a Breloom that was standing next to them.

"Wh-Where did you two come from?!" the mushroom Pokémon squawked in surprise.

"Just answer the question," DJ said rather coldly, his eyes never leaving the Charizard.

"W-Well, those Pokémon that are on the ground are representatives from the Smeargle Guild," the Breloom stuttered.

"The Smeargle Guild?" Katara said in surprise.

"Yeah. They were talking a big game about how their guild was going to win the games, when _he_ showed up." The Breloom pointed to fire dragon. "He came in and called them out, saying that they were weak and wouldn't even make it pass the first challenge. He then preceded to beat each and every one of them."

"The guild," DJ said suddenly. "What guild did he say he was from?"

"The Charizard? He said he was from the Charizard Guild," the Breloom answered.

DJ drew in a sharp breath. "I thought his aura was familiar..."

Katara glanced confusedly at the aura Pokémon. "DJ?"

DJ didn't answer as he walked towards the roaring Charizard, an unreadable expression on his face. When he got relatively close to the fire-flying type, the Charizard seemed to sense his presence and turned. When he saw the Lucario, he grinned ferally.

"Oh? Another victim?" he jeered, spitting out a small tongue of flame from his mouth. The flames didn't reach DJ, but he could feel the heat warm his face.

DJ didn't even blink. "It's been a while, Spire."

The Charizard's eyes widened for a moment before he narrowed his eyes at the blue jackal. "Who are you?"

"I'm not surprised you don't remember me. After all, I hadn't evolved when we first met," DJ said. "Then again, you hadn't either."

The Charizard frowned before his eyes widened in realization. "Blue eyes," he mumbled to himself. "No freaking way. DJ?!"

"Yo."

"Well, well, well. What's a weakling like you doing here?" Spire questioned arrogantly.

"I'm here for that games," DJ answered, ignoring the flame Pokémon's barb.

"Really? You?!" Spire laughed uproariously. "That's hilarious! Let me guess, Asura's part of it too?"

"Yes."

"HA! That's favoritism for you! Did _daddy_ dearest put him on the team?"

"Hey kettle, I'm pot," DJ said with false cheeriness.

Spire's glee filled smile fell and was replaced by a glare. His eyes then zero in on the mega stone on the Lucario's wrist. "Is that what I think it is?"

"I don't know, what do you think it is?" DJ asked cheekily.

Spire growled, but said, "It looks like a mega stone."

"Congratulations, Captain Obvious!" DJ exclaimed joyfully.

Katara looked at the two Pokémon in worry. The Charizard was clearly getting agitated over the Lucario's blasé attitude while DJ looked calm, though Katara knew otherwise. She could feel anger, annoyance, and disgust from the link between her and DJ. She knew that DJ held a certain sense of dislike, borderline loathing, towards the fire type ever since their first encounter in Chrysalis. She hoped that things wouldn't get bad if the two went at it.

"Can you even use that?" Spire questioned haughtily, bending his neck so that he was right in the Lucario's face.

"Who knows?" DJ commented disinterestedly. He then pinned the Charizard with a challenging look. "Care to find out?"

The two Pokémon glare at the other. The tension between the two was palpable. The flame on the tip of Spire's tail flared brightly and fiercely while an almost visible aura emanated from the Lucario. The entire crowd -sans Katara- all took a step back in fear. The two looked like they were seconds away from tearing the other apart when a voice broke out.

"Spire! What are you doing?!" the two glaring Pokémon broke eye contact with the other in favor of looking towards the voice. They saw a black Charizard with red wings flying towards them, his gaze trained on his fellow fire-flying type.

"Landon," Spire said evenly. "What are you doing here?"

The shiny Charizard landed in front of his brother and gave him a deadpanned glare. "To make sure you didn't do anything stupid." He looked around at the either unconscious or barely stirring Pokémon littered around them. "I see I was too late for that."

"They were talking high and mighty, so I knocked them down," Spire said with a scoff.

"It's good to see you again, kettle," DJ said under his breath, though Spire heard him.

The irate Charizard whipped around and glared at the Lucario. "You wanna go, little pup?!"

"Anytime you overgrown candlestick," DJ growled.

Spire made a threatening step forward when his brother stopped him with his wing. "Enough, brother," Landon scolded. "Save the fighting for the games. You're giving our guild a bad look."

Spire growled at his brother before glancing at the assembled crowd who were all looking at him with looks of fear. With a huff, he relented. "Fine." He glared heatedly at DJ. "We'll settle this in the games, pup!"

"I can hardly wait," DJ said, partially sarcastic and partially in anticipation.

With a grunt, Spire took off into the air, his wing slapping DJ slightly across the face. Landon sighed at his brother's actions. He gave the Lucario an apologetic look before taking flight after his brother.

"Of course he's here," DJ grumbled to himself. He turned to walk back to Katara only to receive a smack to the face. "Hey! What'd I do this time?!""

"Did you have to antagonize him?" she questioned half-heartedly.

"I was just talking," DJ said weakly.

"You're impossible." Before DJ could react, Katara had his ear in her vice-like grip.

"Owowowowow!" DJ cried out in pain as he was tugged along. "Katara! That hurts!"

"Then you should learn to behave!" she snapped. Without so much of a glance at the still assembled Pokémon, Katara lead the protesting Lucario through the streets.

-Legend-

After an embarrassing half hour of being dragged through the streets by his ear by a very irate Frogadier, DJ found himself standing before the Sleeping Ampharos, a small, single-floored inn with a cartoon Ampharos sleeping on a cloud. Still massaging his ear, the Lucario enters the inn and eventually his room. To his surprise, his five temporary allies were all sitting on beds.

"What the..."

"Well, well. The pup actually showed up," Sobek snarked.

"What are you doing here?" DJ growled, his ears flattening against his head.

"I don't know about you, but I'm here for the games. Try to keep up," the Krookodile sneered condescendingly.

"I'm talking about the room," DJ growled.

"We're all stationed in the same room," Collin stated before Sobek could spit a biting comment.

"I should have gotten my own room," Kimberly grumbled. "I am a delicate flower!"

"Sure you are," Sobek said with a roll of his eyes.

"What was that, snaggletooth?" the Swampert rumbled angrily, stepping towards the ground-dark type.

"How about we all calm down," Asura said, stepping in between the two Pokémon before they could actually fight. "Whether we like it or not, we're teammates and as such, we cannot afford to fight among ourselves or we _will_ lose."

The two large Pokémon glared at the other before scoffing and turning away. "Speak for yourself," Sobek said. "I could win these games all by myself."

"That is highly unlikely." DJ barely stomped down a surprised yelp as Veil seemingly appeared at his side. "These games are notoriously known for their variety of challenges. Several of which have been reported to have included water. Are you claiming that you can swim?"

Sobek spluttered as he tried to formulate an answer. "I..Well...I cannot...Who asked you!"

"I'll take that as a no~" DJ said in a sing-song voice, earning a sharp-toothed, and slightly creepy, grin from the Sableye.

"Shut up, runt!" Sobek roared.

"Oh, stuff it," Collin sighed in annoyance. "No one wants to hear it."

Sobek opened his large mouth to snap at the Blaziken when a loud siren-like screech echoed through the city. "What the hell was that?!" Sobek shouted.

" _Hello?!_ " a voice echoed through the whole town. " _Can everybody hear me? Not that I would know if you could or not. Hahaha!_ "

"Who is this guy?" DJ asked aloud.

" _Anyway,_ " the voice continued. " _Allow me to welcome all competing guilds to the seventh decennial Grand Guild Games!_ "

"An announcer?" Collin muttered.

"It would appear so," Veil said blankly.

"But don't the games start tomorrow?" DJ questioned.

"This must be the qualifier," Asura muttered just loud enough for DJ to hear him.

"Qualifier?" the former human questioned.

" _Now, as you may know, we have a total of thirty guilds seeking to participate in this year's games! Well, we can't have that now can we!_ "

Suddenly a low rumbling shook the room, forcing the occupants to grab the walls and tables in an attempt to steady themselves.

"What the hell is this!" Sobek shouted over the shouting.

"An earthquake?!" Kimberly exclaimed.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the shaking stopped. The six occupants were able to fully steady themselves and glance at one another.

"Is everybody okay?" Asura asked.

"Oh, please. It would take more that a tiny little shake to hurt me," Sobek boasted. "You might want to check out the pup though."

DJ paid no attention to the Krookodile in favor of staring across the room. "Uh, guys?"

The others looked towards the Lucario, or more specifically what he was staring at, and gaped. Where there use to be a wall, there was a large hole. Looking through it, they were met with a dark tunnel whose only light source were a few scarce torches that offered a very dim light.

" _As many of the teams have noticed, large caverns have opened up in their rooms,_ " the voice said. " _These tunnels lead down to a winding labyrinth, not unlike a mystery dungeon, that leads to the coliseum where the games will be held. The teams are tasked with navigating these tunnels and race against the other teams to reach the coliseum. The first six teams to make it to the coliseum earn a spot in the games._

" _Now, unlike a mystery dungeon, there are no wild Pokémon within this maze. On the contrary, the only opposition you will face will be the other teams. That's right, you are able to encounter other teams in this dungeon! You are permitted to engage these teams in combat and if a team is knocked unconscious, that team is disqualified!_ "

"Holy Arceus!" DJ exclaimed. "The games haven't even started and things are already intense!"

"Only six teams qualify," Asura murmured, his eyes burning with determination. "We have to get a spot!"

"We'll be the first ones with me in the lead!" Sobek puffed.

"Who says you get to be the leader?" Kimberly asked heatedly.

"Who else would do it? _You_?" he questioned sarcastically.

Before either of them could argue any more, the voice began again, " _Now without further adieu, LET THE SEVENTH DECINNIAL GRAND GUILD GAMES BEGIN!_ "

The group glanced at one another for a second before all six of them bustled into the cave opening. The Grand Guild Games had begun! 


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Race to the Games

The six representatives of the Gallade Guild barreled through the tunnel, descending down a carved stone staircase. They reached the bottom of the staircase and followed a long and wide hallway, allowing the group to spread out as they ran as opposed to single-file line, which was good as several of them were vying for the 'leader' position.

"I should be in the front because _I'm_ the leader!" Sobek said angrily, glaring at Collin, Asura, and Kimberly, the ones he thought were the 'threats' to his reign.

Sobek had been arguing the fact for a solid half hour as the group traveled through the winding tunnels of the maze. Collin was the most vocal in the opposition against the ground-dark type with Kimberly adding her two cents every now and then, while Asura just shot them unamused looks. In his eyes, Sobek was inconveniencing the team with his petty desire to lead. DJ glared openly at the Krookodile's back but said nothing and Veil just looked uninterested.

"Oh? And who died and made you leader?" Collin growled.

"You, if you don't back off!" Sobek snapped.

"Yeah, cause that kind of thinking that we want in a leader," Kimberly muttered.

"Who asked you?!" Sobek snarled, whirling around to face the Swampert. "You're not even a team leader!"

"I'm still twice the leader you are!" Kimberly shot back, slamming her head against the Krookodile's. The group could practically see the electricity shooting out from the duo's eyes as they clashed.

"Both of you need to calm down," Asura said, getting between the two and pushing them away. "We are all on the same side. We don't need to, nor do we have time to argue among ourselves."

"Bah!" Sobek growled, stomping away.

"Where are you going, Sobek?" Asura questioned with hardly contained annoyance.

"Screw you lot! I'll get to the end myself!" he said. "I don't need some pathetic ass team dragging me down!"

"You do realize that the team as a _whole_ needs to exit the maze together, right?" DJ asked rather dryly.

"Then you better keep up!" he called over his shoulder, not even bothering to look back. He walked down the hallway before a soft _click_ resounded.

 **BOOM!**

An explosion erupted from the Krookodile's foot and engulfed him in a ball of flames. The group shielded their eyes as dust and rubble blasted past them. When they opened their eyes, smoke wafted down the hallway, covering the area where the ground-dark type once stood.

" _OH! It appears that one of the teams have stumbled upon one of the maze's traps!_ "The announcer shouted, somehow reaching them while they were underground. " _Now would be a good time to let the other teams currently traversing the maze that their path is riddled with a series of traps, much like in some higher level mystery dungeons. As you have no items with you, I recommend you be careful!_ "

"That would have been nice to know ahead of time," Collin grumbled.

"How'd they know we activated a trap?" DJ questioned, looking around the tunnel. "Are they watching us?"

"Yes, they are," Veil said, seemingly appearing out of thin air at DJ's side, causing the Lucario to jump. "This is a televised event. It is likely that they have psychic types watching us through their abilities or ghost types trailing us."

"That just makes me feel warm and fuzzy," DJ said sarcastically. He turned to the smoking mass in front of them. "Hey, Sobek! You okay?!"

A loud groan rang out from the smoke. As the smoke began to clear, the group could see the crook Pokémon slowly getting to his feet. Smoke was curling of his body and he looked disgruntled. He turned to the group and gave an elaborate gesture for them to move ahead.

"I am willing to be the better Pokémon here and graciously allow you to go first," he said with an unconvincing grin.

"How humble of you," Asura said dryly before moving past the Krookodile, the rest of the group in tow, content with allowing Asura to take charge. Sobek grumbled about this, but followed all the same.

The group walked tentatively through the winding tunnels, wary of any traps that may have been placed. Like the announcer had said, they had no items and they were not finding any as they walked. Not that it helped any as they activated a total of five traps in the course of an hour. The traps were mainly harmless, being either small pitfalls or sticky liquid being sprayed at them or similar traps. and did little but impede the group's progress. They did however stumble across a poison spike trap which would have poisoned them, but thankfully it was DJ that stepped on it and was unaffected.

As they continued towalk, they could here the soft and muffled sounds of fighting echoing through the tunnels, alerting the group that other teams were encountering one another.

"Sounds like things are starting to heat up," Collin observed.

"We're missing all the action," Sobek growled, his tail swinging in agitation.

"The purpose of this is to get to the end, not fight the other teams," Asura said, giving the ground-dark type an agitated glare.

"We're in the games, we're _supposed_ to fight other teams!" Sobek argued.

"You'll have plenty of opportunities to fight once we get to the actual games," Asura said. "Until then, I won't have you jeopardizing our chances of representing our guild!"

Asura turned away from the larger Pokémon and began to walk away when a clawed hand grabbed his shoulder. "And what the hell do you mean by that?" Sobek growled dangerously.

"I mean we don't have time for your childish behavior," Asura responded coolly, refusing to be intimidated.

"Childish?" Sobek snarled. The claw on the Medicham's shoulder tightened to the point where he drew blood, but Asura didn't even wince.

"Yes, childish. We are here to win, not get in a fight with every team in this maze!"

Sobek growled and was about to say something more when a bone crushing grip encircled the arm that was grasping Asura's shoulder. "I suggest you back or else." Sobek turned his head and was met with the steely gaze of Team Stardust's second member.

"Or else what?" Sobek growled only to hiss as the grip on his arm tightened.

"Or else the other teams will be the least of your worries," DJ threatened, his eyes glowing like chips of ice.

Sobek looked as if he was about to attack the fighting-steel type when a large blast made up of dark rings shot towards the group. Reacting instantly, the three Pokémon leapt back, causing the attack to slam into the ground, destroying the ground and creating a large wall of dust and smoke in front of the group. The group was immediately on guard as they watched the smoke, waiting for another attack. However, instead of another attack, six Pokémon, a Dusclops, a Flygon, a Heracross, a Staraptor, a Slurpuff, and a Simisage, walked through the smoke.

"Looky here, fellas," the Simisage said, leering at the group with vindictive glee. "Looks like we've found another team."

"Not a good one though," the Slurpuff said giddily. "Did you see how they were fighting, boss?"

"Yeah, pretty pathetic if you ask me," the Simisage agreed, grinning evilly.

Sobek growled at the insult and took a step forward. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Our names aren't important. All you need to know is that we'll win this for the glory of the Dustox Guild!" the Simisage shouted before cupping his hands together and firing an energy ball at Sobek.

The green orb soared through the air straight towards the ground-dark type when a torrent of flames shot in front of its path. The orb slammed into the flames and detonated harmlessly. Collin then stepped up and glared at the grass monkey, his wrist flames burning brightly.

"Sorry, but we're not losing here," he said before dashing forward with speeds that caught the Simisage off guard. Collin's leg ignited in flames as he slammed it into the stunned Simisage's stomach.

The Simisage was flung through the air, flames licking across his stomach and slammed into the ground with a heavy thud. He shakily got us, a hand clutching his bruised and slightly singed stomach. He glared at the Blaziken with burning hatred before shouting loudly.

"GET HIM!"

The Slurpuff acted first as he jumped towards the fire-fighting type. Bringing up his small arms he summoned a large tornado of pink wind that he hurled at Collin's back. The winds seemed to slam into the blaze Pokémon and engulf him in the violent winds. As the winds died down, the Slurpuff grinned triumphantly, thinking he had won, but when the winds were completely gone, instead of a Blaziken, he was met with a grinning Lucario.

"Nice try," DJ said before dashing forward.

The Slurpuff yelped in shock. He tried to use moonblast on the Lucario, but before the pink orb could completely form, DJ was upon him. With spikes now vicious claws, DJ tore through the partially formed sphere and slashed the fairy type across his chest. The Slurpuff cried out in pain and was thrown backwards, DJ following.

The Dusclops turned to assist his teammate and was met with twin diamond eyes. Veil stared blankly at the beckon Pokémon before grinning his shark-like grin. The Dusclops took an uneasy step back before regaining their resolve and attempting a shadow punch on the Sableye. However, just as the shadow covered fist was about to make contact, Veil seemed to melt into shadow and disappeared.

The Dusclops' eye spun around wildly, trying to find their missing quarry when a sharp pain erupted from his back. They stumbled forward, vision growing blurry with each step. Just as the Dusclops was about to fall forward, they turned slightly and a grinning Veil standing their. With that, the Dusclops' vision fades to black.

On the other side of the hallway the Staraptor was attempting to get at Asura with a vicious fury attack, but the Medicham was evading easily.

"Hold still!" the female Staraptor screeched angrily.

Smirking slightly, Asura did just that, making himself an easy target. The Staraptor screeched in victory as she charged towards the meditate Pokémon. The second before her beak was able to plunge itself into Asura, he leaned out of the way and slammed a thunder punch into the flying-normal type's face.

The Staraptor cried out in pain, electricity shooting through her body, as she hurtled through the air. She tried to righten herself when the Heracross slammed into her. Having been tossed by Kimberly in an impressive show of physical strength, the two Pokeman crashed down to the ground in a heap.

As the two struggled to get up, Kimberly unleashed a wave of brownish water at the downed Pokémon. The muddy water attack slammed into the helpless duo and they were washed down the hallway and out of sight.

"Looks like their all washed up," Kimberly said with a cheeky and satisfied grin on her face. Asura groaned at the pun and glared half-heartedly at the water-ground type. Their attention was soon grabbed by the ground shaking under them. Turning, they saw Sobek grappling with the Flygon.

The two ground types seemed to be locked in a stalemate as they pushed against the other. The ground under them began to crack and give way from the sheer power the two were exerting against the other. Then, Sobek seemed to gain the upper hand as he slowly began to push down on the ground-dragon type to the point where they were on their knees.

Sobek grinned at this and exerted more pressure, causing the Flygon to cry out in pain. The dragon then glared and fired a point blank dragonbreath into Sobek's face, forcing him back.

Sobek stumbled back before glaring hatefully at the Flygon. Before they could react, Sobek was upon them. He latched onto the Flygon's neck with a crunch attack and began savagely whipping his head back and forth. Thankfully, dragon types typically had a thick hides and Sobek's teeth, while doing damage, did not tear through the poor Pokémon. That being said, the Flygon was helpless as they were flung around like a rag doll. Just as the pain began to become too much for the ground-dragon type, Sobek slammed them into the ground, using foul play as he did so. The Flygon gave one last cry of pain before falling into peaceful unconsciousness.

Sobek panted over the Flygon, not out of tiredness, but from excitement. A red glow seemed to flash in his eyes as he stared at the Flygon with evident bloodlust.

"That was pretty easy," Collin commented, not noticing Sobek's condition.

"Yeah, they weren't exactly much of a threat," DJ agreed, walking over to the group having defeated his foe. "I guess not every team is on our level."

"More..." The group all paused and turned towards the Krookodile.

"What was that?" Kimberly asked.

"More." Sobek looked at the group and they all noticed the red gleam in his eyes. "I want more."

"More what?" DJ asked warily.

"MORE FIGHT!" he roared, causing several of them to jump in surprise. "I MUST FIGHT MORE!"

"Shit, moxie!" Collin cursed.

"Huh?" DJ asked.

"It's an ability that Krookodile can have. With each enemy they beat, their attack skyrockets, but they also become more vicious," Collin explains, staring at their enraged ally with trepidation.

"Sobek, you need to calm down," Asura said, taking a brave step forward.

"No, must fight!" Sobek shouted, practically salivating.

"We need to get to the end of this maze!" Asura said. "If we're not one of the six teams that reach the end first, then we won't be able to compete!"

"If we beat all the other teams, then we'll get in by default," Sobek said with mad logic.

"And you think we'll be able be able to beat thirty teams before _six_ make it to the end?" Asura argued, trying to make the crazed Krookodile see reason. "Not every team is going to be looking for other teams to pick off. We need to get to the end before the others do!"

Sobek opened his mouth to refute the Medicham's words when DJ stepped up. "Just think about it," he said. "The six that make it to the actual games will be the best of the best. The other teams here are just Durant compared to the Whiscash we'll meet in the games. If you wait, then you'll be able to fight _strong_ foes."

Sobek glared at the Lucario with his red eyes, though the furrow of his brow gave them all hope. The group waited with bated breath for the crocodile to make his decision. Sobek growled before turning his head and giving a huff.

"Fine," he grumbled, the red gleam fading from his eyes.

"Thank you," Asura said, more to DJ than Sobek. "Now we need to get out of this maze."

"But how are we to do that?" Collin asked, gesturing to the expanse of the tunnel. "This is just one big maze!"

"It's no different than a dungeon," Kimberly commented. "We just have to choose a path and hope for the best."

"That's what we've been doing and we've apparently made no headway," Collin said. "We need a better plan than just that if we want to get to the end before the others."

"Hmm..." Asura pondered for a moment, closing his eyes as he did so. "DJ..."

"Yeah?" the Lucario questioned.

"Can you try using your aura sight to map out this maze?" he questioned.

"But my aura sight doesn't work in mystery du-oh!" DJ exclaimed, understanding what his leader was getting at.

"As this is not an actual mystery dungeon, it might be possible for your aura sight to cut through these walls and find the exit," Asura explained.

"That's brilliant!" Collin gasped.

"Genius!" Kimberly added.

"Well what are you waiting for, runt? An open invitation? Do it!" Sobek said impatiently.

"Okay, okay. Keep your scales on," DJ grumbled, ignoring Sobek's growl of annoyance. He shut his eyes and his aura sensors lifted into the air.

The group waited with bated breath, hoping beyond hope that Asura's plan would work. A few seconds passed, then another, and another. By that point, the entire team was becoming anxious. Sobek growled lowly and opened his mouth to shout at the former human to hurry up when DJ's own shout cut him off.

"I've got it!" The Lucario, eyes still closed, turned in the direction they came from. "It's down that way!"

"Great. Lead the way," Asura said approvingly.

"Okay, follow my steps exactly, because there are traps," DJ warned before setting off down the tunnel, the other five hot on his tail.

-Legend-

The group raced through the maze as fast as they were able. They followed closely behind their Lucario ally, doing their best to match his steps as to avoid any traps that the aura Pokémon detected. This was difficult for two of the group as DJ was rather agile in his movements and the groups bulkier members had a difficult time to follow at points.

They did encounter two other teams on the way, though like the representatives from the Dustox guild, the first team was easily dealt with. They had a little trouble with the second group as they had a particularly hardy Garchomp with them. Thankfully, they didn't expend too much energy in the fight as the Garchomp managed to trigger a toxic spikes trap and poisoned themselves. After that the ground-dragon was swiftly dealt with.

Once finished with their fight, the group pressed on for another hour. As they traversed through the annoyingly similar tunnels with no sign of their goal, a level of doubt began to creep into the minds of all those except DJ and Asura. Sobek was the most vocal of these doubts.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Sobek complained for the umpteenth time when they reached a crossroads.

"For the last time, yes!" DJ snapped, his eyes still shut and looking down each path before choosing the one of the left. "It's that way!"

"You say that yet we haven't gotten to our goal!" Sobek growled.

"You do realize that knowing the layout only cuts down _some_ of the time required to go through the maze, right?" DJ questioned, not bothering to look back at the Krookodile. "It still takes time to get there."

"How do we even know that he actually knows where he's going?" Sobek questioned loudly. "For all we know he could be leading us down the wrong path on purpose!"

"Do you really think he'd do that and sabotage us?" Asura asked with a quirked brow.

"I highly doubt that's the case," Collin added before giving Asura a worried and slightly doubtful look. "Though I have to ask, Asura, can DJ really do this?"

"I have complete faith in my teammate," Asura said stiffly, sending a minute glare at the Blaziken who raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm not trying to knock him or anything, I'm just-"

"What it sounds like is that you're doubting his abilities and thus my decision making," Asura interrupted coldly.

"Maybe we should question your decision making," Sobek growled, taking a step forward.

"What was that?" Asura questioned, turning to face the intimidation Pokémon.

"I said maybe we should be questioning your decision making," Sobek repeated. "After all, you could be-"

"If your about to say he's purposely leading us the wrong way then you're even more stupid then you look," Kimberly interjected.

"I conquer with Kimberly," Veil added, reminding the group that he was there. "He is the son of our guild master and thus would be the least likely to betray us."

Sobek growled and glared furiously at those around him, but he just received unimpressed looks. He looked taken aback by the groups lack of fear, obviously used to getting his way through means of intimidation. He grumbled and opened his mouth, but for what felt like the hundredth time, he was cut off.

"Hey guys!" DJ's voice rang out from the end of the tunnel. Glancing in his direction, the group saw that he was almost bouncing in apparent excitement, his eyes opened wide. "The exit's down here!"

The remaining five looked at one another before bolting down the corridor to where DJ stood. True to his words, around the corner stood a large wooden door that by itself looked out of place, but was even further seemed off by the large sign that read 'EXIT' in bright lights.

"Seriously?" Collin asked aloud. "This is the end?"

"Looks like it, if the sign is anything to go by," Kimberly commented, glancing at the door in suspicion.

"This could be a trap," Veil brought up.

"Or it could be the exit," Asura pointed out. "DJ. Can you see beyond this door?"

"No," DJ answered with a shake of his head. "Unlike the resit of this maze, there's something blocking my aura vision from seeing past the door."

Asura nodded his head in acceptance and looked at the door pensively. After a few seconds of silent deliberation, he spoke, "I believe we should chance it and open the door. Even if this were a trap, the good outweighs the bad in this situation. If this is indeed the exit, then we can't afford to move on."

"Sounds good to me," Collin said, reaching forward and grasping the door handle. He glanced back at the temporary team, took a deep breath, and wrenched the door open. As he did so, the rest of the group pushed up next to him in order to peer into the door.

The door lead to a long, barely lit hallway that, instead of having natural stone, the hallway was made from stone bricks with torches lining the walls. The hallway itself was looked to be that which one would expect in the dungeons of a castle of manor and possessed the same uneasy feeling.

Not sure of what to do, the group threw caution into the wind and they all stepped into the hallway. The second they did, and Abra appeared in front of them, startling all of them.

"Congratulations on being the fourth team to reach the end of the maze," the Abra said dully, eyes closed.

"You mean this _is_ the exit?" Kimberly asked, glancing around.

"Yes and as you are the fourth team to reach this place, you have secured a place in the Grand Guild Games," the Abra said sleepily. "I shall now show you to your rooms that will be where you will reside during your time here in the games. Follow me."

With that, the Abra turned around and floated down the hallway at a sedate pace. Glancing at one another, the group followed the Abra, feeling slightly underwhelmed by the congratulations they had just received.

As they walked, the Abra spoke up again. "You will be permitted to wander around the fair grounds and the city, but we ask that you return to your quarters by no later than ten in the evening."

"We have a curfew?" Sobek asked, looking afronted.

The Abra yawned in response. "Yes. It is to ensure that no foolishness occurs between you all and the other teams that made it this far."

"If you don't mind me asking, who were the three groups that made it before us?" Asura asked.

"Hmm?" The Abra yawned again. "I don't remember. Must've been asleep. Anyway, here we are."

The Abra stopped in front of a large wooden door. The small psychic type reached out a hand towards the door, though he was far enough away so his hand did not reach it. The door then swung open, revealing a large room.

Looking inside, the group saw a rather large and well lit room with large plush couches and chairs at the end of a short hallway. The floors were hard wood as opposed to the stone they had been traversing upon earlier. Perpendicular to the room was a small kitchen and a table with a large bowl of berries and other fruit resting upon it. In the small hallway leading up to the kitchen and lounge were three doors on either side, most likely leading to separate rooms.

"Here are your rooms. If you have any questions regarding the games or your rooms, feel free to ask me. Goodbye," the Abra said before blinking out of existence.

"He didn't even tell us how to contact him," DJ grumbled as they entered the room.

"Who cares?" Sobek said uninterestedly. He marched up to a random door and wrenched it open. "I'm getting some shut eye. Wake me up before it's time to go and I'll kill you."

With one last glare, the intimidation Pokémon stalked into their chosen room and slammed the door behind him.

"I think Sobek has the right idea," Asura said. "We'll need our strength for tomorrow."

The group nodded and bid each other good night before choosing their rooms and entering them.

-Legend-

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND GUILD GAMES!" a Chatot, whose voice was that of the announcer, shouted in a surprisingly loud voice for one so small. He received a loud roar of applause from the audience sitting in the large oblong bowl-like coliseum. At the two opposing sides of the coliseum were giant statues of what appeared to a large quadruped with a cross shaped ring around its middle. The statue stood regally at an astounding twenty feet tall, the head just cresting over the edge of the coliseum.

"MY NAME IS TREBLE AND I SHALL SERVE AS YOUR ANOUNCER DURING THE DURATION OF THESE GAMES!" the Chatot exclaimed as the applause died down. "NOW, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE THE SIX COMPETING TEAMS THAT WILL REPRESENT THEIR GUILDS IN THESE GAMES IN ORDER FROM THE LAST TO ARRIVE. FIRST UP...THE GOLEM GUILD AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES...ARTHUR, KID, RED, MAX, DARIAN, AND MARTHA!"

The crowd cheered as a group consisting of an Aegislash, a female shiny Talonflame, a male Lucario with the classic Lucario-red eyes, a male Dragonite, a male Haxorus, and a female Chansey all stepped forward. The group stood proud and confident despite, technically, in last place. Behind them was a banner of a Golem.

"THE NEXT GROUP IS THE AGGRON GUILD WITH...PRECIPICE, SINDOR, NAMI, STAR, BARAK, AND CHARLOTTE!" Treble shouted, gesturing for the second team to step forward.

Standing in front of a banner depicting a roaring Aggron stood an male Aerodactly, a male Emboar, a female Feraligatr, a female Garchomp, a male Luxray, and a female Clefable. Like the other group, they had a strong air of confidence about them.

"NEXT, REACHING THE END OF THE MAZE IN FOURTH, THE GALLADE GUILD AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES...ASURA, SOBEK, KIMBERLY, DJ, COLLIN, AND VEIL!"

The mismatched party from the Gallade Guild stepped forward into the rousing applause. Sobek threw his chest out and puffed up like a Qwilfish, basking in the applause, gaining eye rolls from those around him. Behind them stood a banner depicting a Gallade.

"ARRIVING THIRD IN THE RACE OF THE MAZE, THE NOIVERN GUILD REPRESENTED BY...RAZOR, DREAMER, BELLE, SKYLAR, WHIRL, AND AQUILA!"

At the last name, DJ's head shot up and snapped to the team next to them. "Aquila?!"

Standing before a banner with an image of a Noivern taking flight stood a shiny male Zangoose, a female Musharna, a female Sylveon, a male Pigeot, a male Poliwrath and a familiar looking male Hawlucha. Before DJ could say anything, Treble shouted once more.

"ARRIVING IN SECOND, THE CHARIZARD GUILD WHO WILL BE REPRESENTED BY...SPIRE, LANDON, DIRE, MALUM, OCEANUS, AND GUISE!"

The two familiar Charizard stood proudly next to a male Mightyena, a female Zoroak, a large male Gyarados, and a male Gengar. The banner of a Charizard spewing fire fluttered behind them. The group just called looked the most vicious out of all of them. They were all glaring at their competition with condescending glares and sneers that screamed arrogance. Spire in particularly, had a vindictive grin spread across his lips as he stared directly at DJ.

"Of course _they_ made it," DJ grumbled, glaring right back at Spire.

"You know them?" Collin asked the irate Lucario.

"The two Charizard and I think the Zoroark, but I'm not a hundred percent sure," DJ muttered.

"They appear to be a rather unruly bunch," Veil commented as he observed the team.

"Yeah, but if they're anything like Spire, they're strong," DJ said grimly. "Be careful when facing them."

"AND FINALLY," Treble started up again, "THE FIRST TEAM THAT MADE IT THROUGH THE MAZE AND THE LAST GAMES' WINNERS...THE WIGGLYTUFF GUILD, REPRESENTED BY BOOMER, TANK, FLORA, GASHER, BLAZE, AND WAVE!"

Standing before a banner with a rather dopey looking Wigglytuff stood a male Exploud, who was shouting just as loud as the audience, a male Bibarel, a female Sunflora, a male Crawdaunt, a male Infernape, and a male Empoleon that DJ recognized from the previous day. The audience went absolutely wild at this team's introduction, leading the other teams to believe this team to be the 'fan favorite'.

"NOW THAT THE TEAMS HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED, ALLOW ME TO GO OVER THE RULES," Treble yelled as the cheers began to die down. "OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SIX DAYS, THERE WILL BE A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT EACH TEAM WILL SEND A REPRESENTATIVE OUT TO COMPETE IN. POINTS WILL BE AWARDED TO THE POKÉMON AND THEIR TEAM DEPENDING ON HOW THEY PLACE IN THE EVENT. FIRST PLACE WILL RECEIVE FIVE POINTS, SECOND PLACE FOUR, THIRD PLACE THREE, FOURTH PLACE TWO, FIFTH PLACE ONE, AND LAST PLACE ZERO!

"IN ADDITION, AFTER EACH EVENT IS COMPLETED, THEIR WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO EARN POINTS FOR YOUR TEAM!" Treble pointed his wing to the sky and a large screen appeared in the air. On the screen was a large wheel separated into multiple slivers. Each sliver read out some kind of battle situation on it. "THIS WHEEL WILL BE SPUN AND WHATEVER BATTLE TYPE IT LANDS ON WILL BE THE TYPE OF BATTLE ANOTHER REPRESENTATIVE WILL COMPETE IT. IN THESE BATTLES WILL BE FIVE MINUTES EACH AND THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE THREE POINTS WHILE THE LOSER WILL RECEIVE ONE. SHOULD THE BATTLE END IN A TIE, OR IF TIME EXPIRES, EACH PARTICIPANT WILL RECEIVE TWO POINTS!"

Treble then flew high into the air and spread his wings out. "NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, LET THE GRAND GUILD GAMES...BEGIN!"

The crowd roared in approval as fireworks shot out from around the coliseum and detonated, filling the sky with bright lights. The Grand Guild Games had officially begun.

 **Author's Notes**

Just wanted to give my thanks to Darkbowen for allowing me to use some of his OC's. Also, in case you didn't notice I gave the members of the Wigglytuff Guild all nicknames in this. On a side note, my games are based off of the Grand Magic Games from Fairy Tail (which I don't own either). I loved the anime and I especially loved that arc. I will have different events than those in Fairy Tail, I'm just using the point system and overall idea. Thank you and feel free to review.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Let the Games Begin!

Shortly after Treble's announcement, the six teams were escorted to six separate observing boxes on the far side of the coliseum, above the seats and overlooking the large arena. Across the way, all guild masters of the competing guilds sat together, slightly elevated than their teams.

"Tobias, it is nice to see you again," Guildmaster Aggron, or Plate as he was known to his peers, said to the Gallade. "I'm sure this will be an interesting series of events with your team here."

"It is nice to see you as well, old friend, and I do hope so," Tobias said jovially. "It is a shame Garth and his guild were eliminated in the qualifier though."

The iron armor Pokémon nodded his head. "Yes, it is a shame. Especially after all the boasting he did about his recruits."

"Hmph, he was all bark, just like his team," a gruff voice interjected.

"Speaking of boasting..." Plate grumbled, looking over to the speaker.

Guildmaster Charizard, or Aodhan, sneered at the steel-rock type. "It's not boasting if it's true," the orange dragon dismissed with a grunt and turned to the Gallade. "I see you also have a team competing. One with your son no less."

The master of the Aggron Guild seemed to become exceptionally annoyed over being dismissed and would have most likely have smacked the condescending sneer off the fire-flying type's face had Tobias not place a calming hand on his shoulder. Tobias glanced at the Charizard before saying, "I could say the same for you."

Aodhan merely scoffed. "Of course I did. He _is_ one of my guilds strongest, if not _the_ strongest!"

"So ye' keep tellin' us," Guildmaster Golem, or Bour, grumbled off to the side.

Aodhan turned to the ground-rock type and sneered in disdain. "Something to say, _Bour_?"

"Jus' tha' you seem to be awfully confident of your team's chances, despite the fac' tha' the games _just_ begun," Bour said, not at all intimidated.

"And why wouldn't I be confident?" Aodhan drawled. "Especially after they tore through the qualifier without so much as a scratch. None of the other teams stood a chance against them." He then looked directly at Plate. "Not even Garth's team."

"So your team were the ones that eliminated them," Plate growled.

"Of course. I gave them instruction to take out the biggest competition and leave only the weakling left to compete. An instruction that they executed perfectly."

"An' wha' tha' supposeta' mean? Bour growled.

"Just that it will be _my_ guild will be the one to when these games," Aodhan said matter-of-factly.

"We'll see," Tobias said non confrontationally.

"Oh, think your team will be able to beat mine?" Aodhan challenged.

"As I said, we'll see," Tobias said plainly. "I might also remind you that brute strength is not all it will take to win these games."

"To true," Echo, the Guildmistress of the Noivern Guild, said, looking at the Charizard. "Much of the tasks require finesse in order to complete. Something that your guild is certainly lacking."

Aodhan looked affronted by the dragon-normal type's words. He growled lowly, about to refute the female guild leader when...

"YOOM-TAH!"

The five guild masters all jumped in shock at the shout from the remaining guildmaster who had yet to speak.

"Friends, friends, friends~! We shouldn't be arguing! We're here to support our teams! This is a happy occasion!" their fellow pink guildmaster shouted excitedly.

"Right..." Plate said, a sweat-drop . "Sorry, Emrys,"

The Wigglytuff just smiled. "It's no problem, friendly friend~!"

The pink Pokémon preceded to dance in his seat, causing the rest of the guild masters to sweat-drop at his...less than professional behavior. The Chatot at the balloon Pokémon's side slapped a wing over his face in embarrassment.

"Guildmaster, could you please act professional, please?" he all but pleaded.

"Aww, but that's boring, Clef," Emrys whined childishly.

"Guildmaster," Clef groaned.

-Legend-

On the other side of the coliseum, the teams were all conversing with each other, waiting for the first event to be announced.

"Is that Wigglytuff dancing?" DJ asked, looking at the pink guildmaster in confusion.

"That's Guildmaster Wigglytuff," Asura said, looking to where DJ was looking, a sweat-drop of his own appearing on his brow. "Despite is...eccentricity he's one of the strongest Pokémon on the whole continent."

"Seriously?!" DJ shouted, looking back at the Wigglytuff that appeared to be pouting at another Chatot. "Are you sure?"

"Like I said, he's a little eccentric," Asura said with a shrug.

"Who cares about some old fart, I want these games to start already!" Sobek said impatiently.

"Best not to disrespect those stronger than you," Veil advised stoically.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Sobek snarled.

"Oh pipe down," Kimberly chided. "The games are about to start. Look."

Looking back down to the arena, they could see Treble, making his way to the center of the stadium. Once there, he cleared his throat loudly before shouting for all to hear.

"THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE! NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, THE FIRST CHALLENGE WILL BE ANNOUNCED!"

A bright flash of light erupted next to the normal-flying type, almost blocking him from view. When it faded a large silver cup, almost the size of Treble himself, was there.

"IN THIS CUP-" He gestured to the large cup next to him, "THERE IS A SERIES OF EVENTS. EACH DAY I WILL PICK ONE AND THAT WILL BE THE COMPETITION THAT YOU ALL WILL COMPETE IN! HOWEVER, THE TEAMS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THAT A EACH MEMBER CAN ONLY PARTICIPATE IN _ONE_ EVENT, SO CHOOSE WHO YOU WISH TO COMPETE CAREFULLY!"

"I don't care what the event is, I'm competing!" Sobek said immediately.

"Are you sure?" Veil asked. "The event could be something that you aren't good at."

"There's nothing I'm not good at!" Sobek boasted.

"THE EVENT HAS BEEN CHOSEN!" Treble shouted, gaining all their attention. The Chatot held up a scrap of paper. "THE FIRST EVENT IS...THE WATER GAUNTLET!"

Treble flew off the arena floor just as it erupted with bright light. The light grew and grew until everyone in attendance had to look away as to not be blinded. When it finally dimmed into nonexistence everyone looked at what was once a dirt arena and gasped.

In the arena's place was a large circular pool that was almost three hundred feet in length. In the center of the pool there was a small island resting in the center. A series of red flags poked out of the water, completely circling the pool. Large stone slabs could also be seen resting in the miniature lake following the same path as the flags. There was also a piece of land right at the edge of the pool with a chalk line before it.

Sobek paled the second he saw the water. "Actually, I think I'll sit this one out," he said weakly. He then coughed and added in a much 'braver' voice, "After all, there could be a harder challenge that you'll need me for."

"ACHOO!" DJ suddenly sneezed. "Sorry, I'm allergic to Tauros crap."

Sobek growled, but said nothing. The bright blush on his already red face said enough.

"WILL THE COMPETING MEMBERS PLEASE COME DOWN!" Treble yelled, garnering their attention.

"I guess this is me," Kimberly said, moving to exit the box and move to the arena.

"You've got this!" DJ said confidently.

"Good luck," Collin said.

"You better not lose," Sobek grumbled, still sulking over not getting to compete.

"I won't," Kimberly called over her shoulder.

-Legend-

The six combatants now stood at the edge of the pool, just behind the white line. Joining Kimberly, were Max, Oceanus, Nami, Whirl, and Wave.

"NOW THAT WE'RE ALL HERE, LET ME EXPLAIN THE RULES!" Treble said from his spot in the center land mass. "YOU'RE GOAL FOR THIS EVENT IS TO MAKE IT ONE LAP AROUND THE POOL. FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT SWIM, THERE ARE PLATFORMS FOR YOU TO TRAVERSE OR YOU CAN FLY. HOWEVER, I SHOULD INFORM YOU THAT THERE ARE BARRIERS IN PLACE THAT KEEP YOU FROM GOING TOO HIGH AND TOO KEEP YOU FROM SIMPLY MOVING OVER TO THE FINSIH GOAL. YOU'LL HAVE TO TRAVERSE THE ENTIRE POOL LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!"

The Dragonite grinned triumphantly. _I've got this in the bag,_ he thought to himself. _In the air, I'm unparalleled!_

"DON'T THINK EITHER OR HAS ANY ADVANTAGE," Treble said suddenly, as if reading Max's mind. "THERE ARE OBSTACLES FOR _ALL_ THOSE COMPETING, NO MATTER WHAT MODE OF TRAVEL THEY ARE TAKING."

 _Ooh, this is bad,_ Whirl moaned in his mind, sweating bullets. _I may be a water type, but I'm better at fighting than swimming! My team's going to kill me!_

"LET IT ALSO BE KNOWN THAT THE USE OF MOVES IS PERMITTED FOR THIS COMPETITION. WHETHER THIS IS TO ATTACK ANOTHER COMPETITOR OR AN OBSTACLE, MAKES NO DIFFERENCE!"

The Gyarados grinned almost evilly at this rule, unnerving several of the other competitors.

"NOW IF YOU'RE ALL READY..." The competitors all leaned forward, eyes glued to the pool -except for Max who was preparing to take off. "THEN LET THE WATER GAUNTLET...BEGIN!"

The second the last word left his beak, the competitors took off. Kimberly, Oceanus, Nami, and Wave all dove into the water, Max took off into the air, and Whirl leapt onto on of the platforms and began running as he was a faster runner than he was a swimmer.

Oceanus gained an early lead over the others, using his longer body to propel himself further, though the others were hot on his tail. He turned his head around slightly and grinned. Stretching his humongous jaws open he shot out a beam of bright blue energy at the other swimmers, or more specifically, the ground before them. The beam hit and an ice wall slowly rose until it completely blocked the others' path.

"OOOH! RIGHT OFF THE BAT, OCEANUS, FREEZES THE WATER BEHIND HIM, KEEPING THE OTHER COMBATANTS FROM PROCEDING!" Treble narrated. "WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!"

-Legend-

"Oh, come on!" DJ exclaimed angrily. "How is that fair?!"

"It's not against the rules," Asura reminded him. "They are all free to use whatever moves they have at their disposal to win."

"But he literally blocked off the rest of the pool!" DJ argued vehemently.

"Keep your pants on, pup," Sobek grunted. "It's just ice. If she can't get past that then she really is weak!"

DJ growled, still not approving of such tactics, but remained silent in favor of glaring at the pool.

-Legend-

Back in the pool, Oceanus was grinning like a fool. "Try getting past that, losers!"

He turned to continue the race when he saw an orange blur overtake him from up above. "Oh no you don't!" Oceanus shouted, racing forward to catch up with the Dragonite.

On the other side of the ice wall, Wave was the first to arrive.

"That won't stop me," he said. He then started spinning rapidly, becoming a horizontal top. His beak took on a white glow as he rocketed forward. He slammed into the ice wall and, like a drill, dug through the ice, leaving a relatively small hole.

Kimberly was the next to approach the wall and grinned. "That won't stop me!"

She opened her mouth and shot a barrage of mud bombs at the ice. The globs of mud slammed into the ice and shattered the entire thing in seconds. Kimberly smiled triumphantly, just as Nami swam past her.

"Thank, Kimmy!" she taunted as she raced forward.

"Wha-?" Kimberly spluttered, before she realized what happened. Her face turned red with embarrassment and anger. "Get back here!"

With that, she rocketed after the Feraligatr.

Further ahead, Max had a substantial lead as he moved the first curve. Glancing behind him, he smirked when he saw that he was outpacing the Gyarados. The others were well behind with the Poliwrath being in dead last.

"This is just too easy!" he said as he picked up speed. That's when things began to fall apart.

Just as he rounded the first curve a barrage of toxic purple needles burst out of the water. With a yelp, Max peeled off to the side to avoid the spikes. Despite dodging, he was not out of danger as a wave of glowing white spikes erupted from he water just in front of him. Max was then forced to stop his advancement and fly up, right to the barrier to avoid this set.

Looking down with a glare, he saw there were multiple Corsola and Qwilfish floating in the water.

"You've got to be kidding me," the dragon-flying type grumbled.

"IT APPEARS THAT MAX HAS BEEN STOPPED IN HIS TRACKS BY OUR 'OBSTACLES'," Treble said in a teasing tone, causing the orange dragon to turn and glare angrily at the Chatot. "IN HIS HESITANCE, IT APPEARS THE OTHER RACERS HAVE CAUGHT UP AND ARE OVERTAKING HIM!"

"WHAT?!" Max shouted, his head whipping back towards the water where the others had indeed almost all reached the first curve and were over taking him. He cursed and rocketed back towards the pool.

Oceanus was the first of the swimmers to reach the corner. Seeing the opposing water types, he scoffed arrogantly. Bringing his tail tail in front of him, Oceanus created a spiral of dragon type energy infused wind to his tail and swung it. The winds created a large whirlpool that sucked up all of the smaller Pokémon before him and spun them around and around until Oceanus cut of the flow of energy. The Corsola and Qwilfish were all left disoriented, floating around with swirls in their eyes.

"Like taking candy from a hatchling," Oceanus said before racing past the dizzy Pokémon. He was halfway to the second curve when he saw Wave gaining on him. With a growl, glowing green scales appeared on the atrocious Pokémon's tail, extending it slightly. With an angry roar, he swung his tail at the water-steel type. "Back off!"

Wave saw the dragon tail heading straight for him and dove straight down, allowing it to pass over him. The large penguin glared at the pseudo dragon before smirking. "Fine, if that's the way you want it..."

He held his flippers out, horizontal to his body, before he began to spin. However, instead of his beak glowing for a drill peck, the water around him began to surge and spin around him. The water churned and thrashed violently as Wave spun faster and faster, pulling more water, and the still dizzy living obstacles, to him until he was in the center of a huge whirlpool.

Oceanus frowned when he felt the water suddenly begin to pull him backwards. He turned to see what was happening and almost cried out in shock when he saw what Wave was doing. Try as he might to swim away from the swirling vortex, he was soon pulled in and spun around much like the Corsola and Qwilfish he had attacked.

With the large sea serpent trapped in his whirlpool, Wave ceased his spinning and swam forward, allowing the whirlpool to slowly fall and release the trapped Pokémon. He had already reached the second curve when the Oceanus was completely free.

Oceanus wobbled in the water, not even certain which way was up or down. His vision was doubled and constantly moving, making him sick to his stomach. As he struggled to regain his equilibrium, Nami and Kimberly had reached him.

"Get back here!" Kimberly shouted angrily at the annoying Feraligatr.

"What's wrong? To fat to catch up?" Nami jeered, further infuriating the Swampert.

"I WILL END YOU!"

The duo raced past Oceanus just as he managed to gain his bearings. Seeing the two females passing him, he roared in outrage before shooting forward like a Crobat out of hell.

Back above the water, Max was trying and failing to catch up to the Empoleon, who had gained a rather substantial lead. Growling angrily at his inability to catch up to the surprisingly swift water-steel type, he got an idea. His two antenna cracked with electricity before he shot a powerful thunderbolt attack straight at the water.

The stream of lightning raced past Whirl, who was incredibly thankful for deciding to run instead of swim, and struck the water. In an instant, the swimmers were struck with a blast of electricity. Oceanus roared in pain at the quadruple effective move and stopped dead in his tracks. Nami, too was stopped in place as electricity arced through her. Kimberly, being part ground type, was unaffected and continued to swim, though she did punch Nami in the jaw as she passed her.

Wave on the other hand, saw the lightning shooting towards the water. Just before the electricity hit the pool, he leapt into the air, straight towards the Dragonite. He opened his beak and began to form a large glowing orb of water in front of him before shooting it at the dragon.

Max, surprised by Wave's sudden appearance, was unable to dodge in time as the powerful hydro cannon slammed into him. While the attack was no very effective against him, the force of the attack was enough to send him hurtling down, or more specifically, a towards a certain water-fighting type.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Whirl shouted helplessly as the dragon Pokémon flew straight towards him.

With a loud crash, Max slammed into the platform, stunned. The Poliwrath pinned under him.

"WHAT A COUNTER, FOLKS!" Treble shouted. "MAX, WHO HAD JUST ATTEMPTED A THUNDERBOLT ON THE POOL, WHICH SUCCSSFULLY ENCUMBERED TWO OF THE OTHER RACERS, HAS BEEN SENT CRASHING TO THE GROUND BY A VICIOUS HYDRO CANNON, LEAVING BOTH HIM AND WHIRL TEMPORARILY OUT OF THE RACE!"

Wave dove back into the water with a smirk and raced the the next curve. As he turned he was met by a large Whiscash. The water-ground type, gave a gurgled roar before swimming rapidly towards the emperor Pokémon, attempting a body slam attack.

Wave dodged to the side at the last second, causing the whiskers Pokémon to slam into the side of the center island. The Whiscash drifted back, shaking itself to alleviate the stun it had just received. It turned to face the Empoleon, only to see it was missing. Before it could even wonder where its target had went, a sharp pain erupted from its stomach as his previous quarry slammed into its belly with a drill peck strong enough to send it flying out of the water and onto the land like it was nothing but a Magikarp.

With the Whiscash gone, Wave rocketed forward, bent on continuing the race. Just as he got to the final curve, his senses screamed at him. Not even thinking twice, he swerved to the side just in time to avoid a glob of mud that smashed into the outer ring with enough force to crack it.

Glancing behind him he saw Kimberly racing towards him, firing several more mud bombs at him. Wave darted around, avoiding the mud bombs as he continued to race forward, Kimberly hot on his tail. The other racers had all recovered by that point and were racing towards them, though there was a sizable gap between them.

Wave pressed on, dodging the barrage of ground type attacks to the best ability, but the constant dodging was slowing his speed and Kimberly was slowly but steadily catching up. Thinking fast, Wave spun around to face the encroaching Swampert.

He began to charge up another hydro cannon, the water around him swirling into attack, causing it to increase in size. He continued to charge his attack as the mud fish Pokémon grew closer and closer. Just as she was only several feat away, he launched his attack.

Kimberly's eyes widened before she frantically swam to the side causing the large sphere of compressed water to just graze her tail fin. She sighed in relief and turned back towards only to see him rocketing towards the finish line. He had used the force of firing the attack to send him flying back!

Eyes wide, Kimberly swam as fast as she could to catch up, but she was too late.

"GOAL!" Treble shouted as Wave rocketed to their starting point and onto dry land. "THE WINNER OF THE WATER GAUNTLET, FROM THE WIGGLYTUFF GUILD...IT'S WAVE!"

The coliseum erupted into applause into thunderous applause over the spectacle they had just witnessed. As they did so, the rest of the racers crossed the finish line and took to the land. The arena shone once more and when it disappeared, so did the pool.

"CONGRATULATIONS ALL AROUND!" Treble cried enthusiastically. "WITH AN INGENIUS USE OF A HYDRO CANNON ATTACK, WAVE HAS SECURED HIS TEAM FIVE POINTS!"

The crowd once more erupted into loud cheers as Wave stepped over and waved happily at them. When the noise began to subside.

"IN SECOND PLACE, EARNING FOUR POINTS, IS KIMBERLY!" Treble continued. Kimberly stepped forward and waved rapidly at the cheering crowd.

"IN THIRD PLACE, EARNING THREE POINTS, OCEANUS!" Oceanus was clearly not happy with the results and glared at the crowd. Their cheers died slightly at the atrocious Pokémon's harsh glare.

"IN FOURTH PLACE, WE HAVE MAX, WHO HAS EARNED TWO POINTS FOR HIS GUILD!" Max too looked upset over the results but he waved all the same.

"IN FIFTH PLACE, AND THE WINNER OF ONE POINT, WE HAVE NAMI!" The Feraligatr stepped forward and gave a waved happily as if she had been the one that had won. She glanced over at Kimberly and grinned cheekily, causing the Swampert to growl lowly.

"AND IN DEAD LAST, AND THE ONLY ONE WHO WILL NOT RECEIVE POINTS, WE HAVE WHIRL!" The poor Poliwrath was practically catatonic with shame over getting in dead last. He was on his hands and knees and didn't respond to Treble's words.

"YES, LET'S GIVE A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO ALL OUR RACERS!" Treble shouted, eliciting another round of tumultuous applause from the massive crowd. "NOW IF ALL PARTICIPANTS WOULD REJOIN THEIR TEAMS, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE BATTLE PHASE."

-Legend-

"It's a shame Kimberly couldn't win," Katara lamented to the guild members sitting with her in the coliseum. "She was so close too."

"I told her not to eat all those leppa berries, but she didn't listen," Davis sighed dramatically.

"You know she's going to kill you when she finds out you said that," Alex commented.

"And how will she find out?" he questioned, eyes narrowed at the 'innocent' Ninetails.

"Well we shouldn't keep secrets from a teammate..."

"Alex, I swear to Arceus..."

Those around the bickering duo all sweat-dropped at their antics. Meanwhile, Garfield appeared to be either trying to bury himself in his paws or suffocate himself in shame.

-Legend-

"Oh, Whirl," Belle sighed tiredly, as if she expected such a thing to happen.

"He may be strong, but he's not very fast," Aquila noted with a small frown.

"Ain't that the truth," Razor grunted.

"Dammit, Oceanus," Spire growled angrily. "He was supposed to win!"

"Yet he proves to be a disappointment," Guise commented, his voice as cold as steel. "Such a shame."

The others, even Spire flinched slightly at the Gengar's words, fear flashing in their eyes if only for a brief moment.

-Legend-

"Hmph. Wha' was tha' about ya' team winnin'?" Bour jeered at the growling Charizard beside him.

 _Damn that brat, he's making me look bad!_ Aodhan thought furiously, before a small, unnoticeable smirk played over his features. _At least I'll have Guise to deal with him._

Taking the Charizard's silence as embarrassment, Bour just laughed and turned back to the arena. Tobias, however, noticed the Charizard's grin and frowned slightly.

-Legend-

"Sorry, guys," Kimberly apologized sheepishly as she joined her team.

"Hey, you did fine," DJ assured, glancing at the other teams, seeing the majority cheering for their teammates regardless of the results. He did note how pale the Gyarados had become when he approached his team and found himself frowning.

"Hmph, you were supposed to win," Sobek grunted, not even looking at her.

"Like you could have done better," Collin drawled.

Sobek whipped around towards the blaze Pokémon, an insult on his tongue, but before he could say anything, Kimberly flicked some water at him, causing him to shriek in shock and fear. The group erupted into fits of laughter at the ground-dark type's plight as said Pokémon tried to splutter out some half-assed excuse.

They were broken from their laughter when Treble's voice echoed through the coliseum. "NOW THAT ALL OF YOU ARE SETTLED, WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE BATTLE PHASE!"

They all turned their attention back to the stadium floor just in time to see the screen and wheel from before appear. Treble flew in front of the screen and addressed the crowd. "NOW LET'S GIVE IT A SPIN!"

The wheel then began to spin rapidly, becoming a blur of color. They all waited with barely contained excitement and anxiety as the wheel gradually began to slow. The wheel finally stopped and the wedge that the needle stopped upon became highlighted. The words on said wedge seemed to peel off the wedge and move towards the screen and grew to a big enough size that everyone could read it.

"AND THE GAME IS...TAG!" Treble announced.

"Tag?! Are you kidding me?!" Spire roared from his spot. "We came to participate in the games, not act like hatchlings!"

Instead of getting upset, Treble merely chuckled at the Charizard's anger. "I CAN ASSURE YOU, THIS IS NOT FOR HATCHLINGS. FOR YOU SEE, THIS BATTLE TYPE IS AN EVERYMON FOR THEMSELVES MATCHED!"

That seemed to garner Spire's interest as well as the interest of the other teams. "THE GOAL OF THIS BATTLE IS TO LAND A SINGLE HIT ON YOUR OPPONENT, OR 'TAG' THEM! HOWEVER, BECAUSE THERE ARE SIX POKÉMON PARTICIPATING IN THIS BATTLE, ONLY THE LAST THREE WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE POINTS!" The Chatot looked directly at Spire. "SO TELL ME, IS THIS A GAME FOR HATCHLINGS?"

Spire grinned widely. "I suppose not."

"GOOD, NOW IF THERE ARE NO MORE INTERRUPTIONS-" Spire growled at that, "-PLEASE SEND DOWN THE MEMBER OF YOUR TEAMS THAT WISHES TO PARTICIPATE!"

"I'll go!" Sobek said immediately. "With my earthquake attack, I'll be able to hit them all in one go!"

"As much as I hate to agree with him, that is a good plan," Collin said begrudgingly.

"Well my muddy water attack can do the same thing!" Kimberly argued.

"You already were in a competition today and you lost. Let someone else take a turn," Sobek said dismissively.

"Hey, I got second!" Kimberly exclaimed indigently.

"That's first place for losers," Sobek scoffed.

"Why you..." Kimberly growled, taking a step towards the Krookodile.

"I think our decision was made for us," DJ interrupted.

The two larger Pokémon paused in their glaring and turned to the Lucario. "What do you mean by that?" they questioned.

DJ pointed down to the ground. "Look."

Confused the duo looked over the balcony and saw a familiar Pokémon. A familiar _purple_ Pokémon.

"VEIL?!" they shouted in unison with Sobek adding, "When the hell did he get down there?!"

"Most likely while you two were bickering," Asura stated dryly. "I guess he'll be participating in this battle round."

"Better luck next time," Collin said reassuringly, patting the large crocodile on the back.

"Piss off," Sobek snarled angrily.

-Legend-

Soon, along with Veil, Arthur, Tank, Barak, Belle, and Dire soon took the field. The were situated in a large circle with one hundred yards between each of them. A large clear barrier had been erected around the very edge of the arena, extending up in a dome to both protect the audience and keep the combatants from going too high.

Once they were all in place, Treble, from his place in the center of the stadium, addressed the masses. "NOW THAT ALL OUR COMBATANTS ARE HERE, ALLOW ME TO REMIND YOU THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOCK OUT YOUR OPPONENT IN ORDER TO WIN. YOU JUST NEED TO LAND A SINGLE CLEAN HIT."

He glanced at the Pokémon around him and saw that they had all apparently chosen who they were going to go after. His gaze found purchase on the ghost-dark type and found him, not staring at one of the other competitors, but directly at him. Unblinking. Unmoving. Like a statue.

Treble felt an involuntary shiver crawl down his spine at the unflinching jeweled gaze of the Sableye. _What the hell is he staring at me for?! He's seriously creepy!_ Treble quickly shook his head, doing his best to ignore the darkness Pokémon's gaze as he addressed the six fighters. "If you are all ready..."

They all tensed in anticipation for the call. A soft breeze blew through the stadium as silence engulfed the large crowd as they too were anticipating the start of the match.

Treble glanced around at the six. "If that's the case, let the battle...BEGIN!" he finished with a shout, taking off into the air at the same time the attacks began.

Dire immediately charged straight for the Sylveon, his teeth bared and claws extended. "You're first, girly!"

Said fairy type turned just in time to see the larger Mightyena leaping right at her. Just as he was about take her out of the battle with a vicious crunch, she smirked evilly, a strange sight on a Sylveon. Her image then suddenly faded from view, causing the dark hound to get a mouthful of dirt.

"Huh?" Dire said stupidly.

"Sorry, but I'm not going down that easily," a melodious voice said from behind him.

He turned towards the voice just in time to get a face full of pink wind that swirled around him violently and catapulted him into the air. His world was quite literally spinning around him as he howled in pain as the fairy energy of the winds bit at his side and spun him around. This all lasted a second before the winds dissipated allowing the dizzy bite Pokémon to fall back down to the ground.

"AND DIRE IS THE FIRST ONE ELIMINATED!" Treble shouted, his voice slightly muffled to still disoriented Mightyena.

"Better luck next time, big boy," Belle chuckled before trotting away in an almost sultry manner.

"Pretty..." Dire muttered dazedly.

-Legend-

"Arceus dammit, Dire! You had one job!" Spire all but roared, his flames burning even brighter.

"Right off the bat too," Malum lamented. "How embarrassing."

"I concur," Guise added, his permanent smile holding a flicker of something less than pleasant. He turned to Spire, who shivered at the Gengar's chilling expression. "As I recall, it was _you_ who recommended him for this team, as well as Oceanus. I cannot help but think that your decisions were wrong."

Spire spluttered, trying to come up with something to refute the ghost-poison type's claims, but the words died as those red eyes peered at him. He could practically feel his fire going out from a single chilling look from the shadow Pokémon. He was saved, however, by his brother stepping in front of him.

The shiny Charizard growled, uncharacteristically angry, at the Guise. "I suggest you back off, Guise. We're all on the same team and making threats like that are not needed."

"I have made no threats," Guise drawled, giving the black dragon a bored look. "I was just making observances. Nothing to worry about. However-" He turned away from the two fire-flying types and gazed back down to the stadium. "-you would do well to watch your tone when talking to me. After all, you know what I am capable of."

Landon swallowed thickly, but continued to glare. If Guise noticed, he didn't respond, apparently enthralled with the fights below.

"I didn't need your help," Spire snarled in a hushed tone towards his brother.

"Yes, you did," Landon said simply before turning his attention back to the fights.

-Legend-

Back in the stadium it was pandemonium. Attacks were flying in every direction. Explosions were erupting all over the arena floor as the attacks missed or were deflected. Dust and smoke almost completely blanketed the arena floor, making it difficult for the audience to see what was happening.

"Hold still, you damn sword!" Barak shouted as he shot another blast of electricity at the floating Aegislash. The lightning arced through the air, heading right towards the ghost-steel type, but before it could hit, Arthur sheathed himself and a purple scaled shield erected in front of him. The lightning slammed into the shield and dissipated harmlessly at the same time Barak felt a significant drop to his power.

"Haha! Such an attack will never be able to pierce my shield!" Arthur exclaimed loudly. In an exaggerated flourish, he pulled himself out from his shield and flew down at the Luxray. "Have at thee!"

Arthur's sword body was engulfed in a bright blue light as he swung himself towards the gleam eyes Pokémon. Unprepared, Barak shouted in pain as the sacred sword slammed into his flank, sending him flying across the arena floor.

"Another falls to my blade," Arthur said, closing his eyes, basking in his triumph. Unfortunately, he did not see the water coated Bibarel barreling towards him at the same moment.

Tank smashed into the unsuspecting Pokémon's side with a strong aqua jet, hitting him with enough force to send him tumbling through the air as Barak had previously done.

"An attack from behind?" Arthur questioned aghast. "How uncouth!"

"Golly, sorry about that," Tank said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "but this is a battle you know. You can't just leave yourself open like that."

"You speak wise words, young one," Arthur said, bowing his head. "You are wise beyond your years."

"Aw shucks! You're making me blush," Tank said, his face indeed taking on a rosy tint.

"AND WITH THAT, BOTH BARAK AND ARTHUR HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER!" Treble exclaimed. "NOW ONLY THREE COMPETITORS REMAIN!"

-Legend-

"Wow, these fights are going fast!" DJ said in surprise.

"That's what happens when it only takes one move to win," Collin said.

DJ nodded his head, relenting. He glanced over to his side and furrowed his brow when he saw a frown on his leader's face. "Something wrong, Asura?"

"Maybe..." Asura mumbled, almost to himself.

"What's up?" DJ asked curiously.

"Tell me, do you see Veil anywhere?" DJ frowned, looking down towards the arena. After a quick surveillance, his frown deepened.

"I don't see him!"

"Exactly."

"But I don't understand! Where is he?"

"I'm not sure," Asura admitted.

-Legend-

Tank and Belle were now squaring off, neither one willing to back down.

Tank lunged forward with an aqua jet, wanting to finish the fight quickly. Belle merely smirked at the encroaching Bibarel and gracefully avoided the attack before forming a moonblast in between her feelers. The pink orb grew in size before she finally threw it at the beaver Pokémon. Tank, just coming out of his aqua jet, saw the attack flying at him and fired a stream of piping hot water at the sphere. The two attacks raced towards each other and exploded on contact. Both smoke and steam erupted from the too attacks, blinding both Pokémon.

Unperturbed by her lack of vision, Belle unleashed another fairy wind straight ahead, knowing that the swirling winds would drag the Bibarel into it if it got close. The winds shredded through the smoke and steam wall and tore through the spot where Tank was last seen. Believing that she had captured the normal-water type, she ended her attack only to see no hide or hair of her enemy.

"Wha-" was all she was able to get out before Tank suddenly appeared and smashed into her with a headbutt. She yowled in pain, slamming into the dirt and sliding several feat further.

"AND TANK HAS ELIMINATED BELLE!" Treble shouted over the roar of the crowd. Tank blushed brightly as the praise of the crowd, which seemed to only encourage more cheers. "NOW WITH ONLY TWO REMAINING, WHO WILL BE-"

Treble was cut off be a pain filled grunt coming from the arena floor. Back on the ground, Tank stumbled forward before falling to the ground. Standing behind him was Veil who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"It is as you said," the ghost began, "you should not leave yourself open for an attack in the middle of a battle."

"Dang it," Tank groaned in pain while thinking, _How'd he sneak up on me like that? I didn't even sense him!_

"I-I'M NOT SURE WHAT JUST HAPPENED, BUT IT APPEARS THAT VEIL HAS SUDDENLY APPEARED AND TAKEN OUT TANK!" Treble exclaimed. "THAT MEANS, THE WINNER OF THIS BATTLE OF TAG, IS VEIL!"

The crowd was silent for awhile, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. The a small smattering of applause began before it turned into a thunderous roar of excitement and approval.

"WITH THAT, VEIL EARNS THREE POINTS FOR HIS TEAM WHILE TANK EARNS TWO AND BELLE EARNS ONE! THE OTHERS WILL RECEIVE NOTHING." Treble continued. "WITH THOSE POINTS ADDED OUR CURRENT PLACINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: TIED FOR LAST PLACE, WITH ONE POINT EACH, NOIVERN'S GUILD AND AGGRON'S GUILD. IN THIRD PLACE WITH A SCORE OF TWO, GOLEM'S GUILD. IN SECOND PLACE, WITH THREE POINTS, CHARIZARD'S GUILD! AND FINALLY, TIED FOR FIRST WITH SEVEN POINTS EACH, GALLADE'S GUILD AND WIGGLYTUFF'S GUILD!"

The crowd roared in approval. Their voices and shouts practically shaking the entire stadium.

"THAT CONCLUDES DAY ONE OF THE GRAND GUILD GAMES! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL BACK HERE TOMORROW MORNING!" Treble concluded with an elaborate bow.

-Legend-

"So that's where he was," Asura said.

"What do you mean?" DJ asked.

"He was literally hiding in the shadows." Seeing the still confused expression, he elaborated. "He was using shadow sneak the entire time to hide himself and attack when his opponent least expected it."

"So he just hid himself the whole time," Sobek scoffed, clearly not liking the Sableye's tactics.

"Think what you want, it was a genius plan," Asura said.

-Legend-

"Thas' quite the lad ye' got there, Tobias," Bour commented.

"Yes, Veil is an exceptional member of my guild. I do not regret my decision of choosing him as a participant," Tobias said with an underline note of pride in his voice.

"Hmph, rather cowardly if you ask me," Aodhan grunted. "He merely hid until the end and attacked when his opponent was distracted."

"Good thing we didn't ask for your opinion," Echo commented.

"Veil has always been like that," Tobias said, staving off the ensuing argument. "He prefers to attack from the shadows instead of attack outright."

"A good battle tactic," Emrys commented in a rare moment of serious. Said seriousness melted not a second later as he said, "What a strong friendly friend~!"

"Emrys, I hope there are no hard feelings," Tobias said carefully. "Your subordinate preformed admirably."

"Of course, it's all in good fun. YOOM-TAH!" the normal-fairy type said happily.

"Hmph, Tank should have been more vigilant," Clef added his own two cents. "I'll have to drill the necessity for vigilance into our next training exercise."

"Oh, Clef. You shouldn't be so hard on him," Emrys chided good-naturedly. "He did his best."

"Even so, he should not have been so careless," Clef refuted.

Emrys just sighed, still smiling nonetheless.

"Oh, Emrys," Tobias said suddenly. "If you have a moment, there is something that I would like to discuss with you."

"Hmm?" Emrys hummed questioningly.

 **Author's Notes:**

Just for a reference, the stadium floor is close to five hundred yards in any given direction.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Brutal Path

"Hmm," Emrys hummed in thought, his face surprisingly serious. He, Clef, and Tobias were currently situated in one of the many dim lit hallways of the coliseum. Tobias had led the two of them after the games' first day ended and told them his misgivings.

"This is indeed grave news," Clef said gravely.

"Now you see the position we're all in," Tobias said.

"Yes I do," Emrys said. "With all the legendaries potentially running wild, everyone is in danger and telling the populace could cause mass panic."

"But at the same time, there have been reports of several sighting of the legendaries as of late and confusion is beginning to waft through the towns," Clef added. "Many are concerned and confused as to why the legendaries have been appearing after so many years of silence."

"Not to mention the places that have been attacked," Tobias pointed out. "If I recall, wasn't there an attack on Treasure Town a few week ago?"

"Yes. Heatran attacked, but Team HydroFlame dealt with him rather swiftly," Clef responded.

"Ah, I see. If I recall, Team HydroFlame is the only team to have graduated your guild, correct?" Tobias asked.

"That's right~!" Emrys said, all semblance of seriousness gone from his face. "They're our guild's pride and joy, especially after the events at both Temporal Tower and Spacial Rend!"

"Right, I had forgotten that those two have already had experience fighting legendaries," Tobias chuckled. "I guess it's fate that every human that comes here will fight at least one legendary!"

Clef gave the Gallade a confused look. "Every human? What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you remember, Clef," Emrys asked. "when a missive came to us inquiring about our own experience with a human coming to us?

Clef furrowed his brow before his beak fell open in shock as he spun back to Tobias. "That was you?! So that mean..."

"That's right, DJ is also a former human sent to us to complete a role," Tobias confirmed, leaning against the hallway wall.

"Hmm, I thought there was something familiar about him," a voice said.

Out of the shadows behind Tobias stepped Wave, a playful smirk on his beak. Tobias turned to look at the Empoleon, not even looking surprised by the Empoleon's presence. "Ah, Wave. I was wondering when you'd jump in."

"Was I that obvious?" Wave chuckled sheepishly.

"No, but you don't get to be my age in this profession with lax perception skills," Tobias laughed.

"I guess not," Wave chuckled, before becoming serious. "So it's true that the other legendaries are turning evil?"

"Yes, unfortunately it is," Tobias said grimly. "One of my guild's teams, Team Stardust, has encountered and defeated two legendaries in the last two months and it was reported by several other guildmasters that five others have been defeated."

"Do we know which legendaries have been affected?" Wave asked.

"It is unclear how many have been affected, though there are reports that the beasts, the eon duo, the forces of nature, the tao trio, and at least Yveltal of the aura trio have all been sighted, though it is unclear if they have turned," Clef listed. "There have also been reports of torrential rain, intense heat waves, and raging winds occurring in various places over the continent, leading us to believe that the weather has been affected."

"What about the creation trio?" Wave asked.

"Unknown," Tobias said.

"I really hope they're not affected. I _really_ don't want to fight them again," Wave groaned.

"Don't worry, friend~!" Emrys said happily. "Everything will work out~! YOOM-TAH!"

Tobias chuckled at his fellow guildmaster's antics while both Clef and Wave sweat-drop. "Guildmaster..."

"Guildmaster Gallade!" The quartet turned to see DJ jogging down the hallway. When the Lucario saw that his guildmaster was not alone, he slowed down before reaching them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Actually-" Clef began only to be cut off by Tobias.

"Not at all." Clef gave the Gallade a rather cross look, only to receive a nonchalant shrug. "He is one of my best guild members. He's privy to this information."

"I can come back if you want," DJ said nervously.

"There's no need for that, friend~" Emrys said happily. "We were just discussing the threat of the legendaries~"

Clef sighed in tired acceptance. "Only you, guildmaster, can make light of such things."

"La~la~la~" Emrys seemed to not even notice the Chatot speaking as he started to dance in place.

"Oookay?" DJ said, not really sure what to make of the pink Pokémon in front of him.

"Was there something you needed, DJ?" Tobias asked, pulling the Lucario's attention away from the dancing Wigglytuff.

"Oh, no. Not really. I was just walking around when I heard you talking so I decided to say hi," DJ responded sheepishly.

"So you're the Gallade Guild's resident human," Wave said , stepping up to the Lucario. "It's nice to know I'm not the only human in this world."

"Not the only one?" DJ repeated. Confusion flashed over his face before his eyes practically popped out of his head. "Wait, _you're_ a human too?!"

"Yep," Wave answered. "We didn't really get a proper introduction back when we met up in the city, but you had a similar aura about you that I have."

"Really?" DJ questioned. "I didn't think Empoleon could see aura."

Wave chuckled. "I don't mean aura as in the stuff Lucario can see. I meant you just felt like me, if that makes sense."

"I guess," DJ said with a shrug. "So what were you called here for? Guildmaster Gallade said that humans were normally called to this world to stop some catastrophe."

"Well I wasn't sent here in the typical sense," Wave said sheepishly. "I was actually originally fro a future where time basically stopped and I went back in time to prevent it. Something happened as we were traveling and I turned into a Pokémon."

"Whoa," DJ said in awe.

"I know, right? Then I joined the guild along with Furno, who was a Chimchar at the time, and eventually we began searching for the time gears because someone _else_ from the future came to us claiming that a thief, also from the future, was stealing the time gears to cause the planets paralysis. However, it turned out that that thief was actually my friend from the future who came back with me to gather the time gears to _stop_ the planets paralysis and the one who told us about the thief was actually trying to cause it."

"Holy Arceus, that's intense," DJ said.

"Then after a bunch of stuff, including Furno and I going to the future and finding a way back, had to go to Temporal Tower to stop the planet's paralysis and had to fight Dialga. Long story short, it was tough and that's not even including the stuff that Darkrai caused."

"Wait, you fought Darkrai too?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, he was evil back then and wanted to trap the world in a never ending nightmare," Wave explained. "We learned that it was actually him that tried to initially cause the planet's paralysis and was the reason I turned into a Pokémon and lost my memory. We stopped him along with a legendary named Cresselia and when he tried to escape, Palkia attacked him and he lost him memories."

"Wow, you must be strong if you beat him with only two other Pokémon," DJ said. "When we fought him while he was being controlled by whatever it is controlling the legendaries he nearly beat us."

"Granted, we had a legendary with us at the time. Regardless, it was a tough battle on our end," Wave said. "So what were you sent here to stop?"

"Well it turns out that another human was sent here-" Tobias wince at the mention of Luke, "-and he became corrupted by this power that both of us had when we came to this world with. He was trying to unlock the dark wells and cast the world in vile darkness."

"Really? What's with bad guys and darkness?" Wave questioned with a roll of his eyes.

"Who knows?" DJ said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's pretty cliché if you ask me. Anyway, my team, my sister, who just showed up to help us, and I had to try and find the pieces of the key that kept the dark wells sealed, which failed so we had to storm the tower where the dark well was and fight his army so we could actually get to the dark well. In the end we were able to destroy the dark well and stop his plot."

"Nice," Wave said approvingly. "If you don't mind me asking, what was that power that you mentioned?"

"Oh, it's something we called primal aura," DJ explained.

"What's it do?" Wave asked curiously.

"It basically gave me a power and speed boost and the cost of me basically going feral."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, the other human some how managed to get some control of it and became evil because of it, but I was able to overcome it and gain a different ability that was like it without the cost of losing myself."

"Sounds handy."

"Not really," DJ admitted. "I can't turn it on at will. It only activates when I'm in a life or death scenario."

"Still, it has more battle practicality than my ability."

A curious look crossed DJ's face. "What ability?"

"It's called the Dimensional Scream," Wave said. "Sometimes when I touch something I'll get flashes of either the past or the future."

"Wow, really?!" DJ exclaimed. "That's amazing!"

"It's not as amazing as you'd think," Wave said, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "I can't control when it activates, it just happens. It's honestly a pain half of the time, especially when it happens in the middle of a fight as it causes me discomfort."

DJ nodded his head before frowning. "Wait, when we first met, you looked like you were in pain. Were you-"

"I think that's enough talk for now," Tobias interrupted, causing both former humans to jolt as they had been so engrossed in their conversation that they had forgotten about the other three in the hallway. "You both need to rest up for tomorrow."

"Yes, yes~!" Emrys said excitedly. "You both need rest so you'll be at a hundred percent tomorrow~!"

DJ frowned. "But-"

"You heard Guildmaster Wigglytuff!" Clef said harshly. "Off with you two!"

"It's fine, we'll talk later," Wave assured the Lucario.

"Okay..." he said uncertainly. With that, he and Wave left in separate directions, leaving the two guildmasters and Chatot left.

"We should also turn in," Emrys said, as happy as ever. "Tomorrow will certainly be an exciting one~!"

"I have to agree with you on that," Tobias said, "but what should we do regarding the legendaries."

"Oh, don't worry about it so much," Emrys said without a care. "If you worry too much you'll get wrinkles!"

"Guildmaster..." Clef groaned.

"There's no use worry about this kind of stuff when nothing truly dire has happened yet," Emrys said, suddenly becoming serious. "We play things by ear for now and decide on a course of action should the need arise."

Tobias nodded slowly. "That sounds agreeable, though I can't help but think that something big is just over the horizon."

"Well if there is, then we'll face it together~" Emrys said, patting the Gallade's arm reassuringly. "After all, that's what we do, isn't it?"

"You're correct as always, old friend," Tobias said with a smile that Emrys was all to eager to return.

-Legend-

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND GUILD GAMES' SECOND DAY!" Treble shouted over the roar of the crowd.

The games were back on in full swing. After the previous day's events, it appeared that even more Pokémon were present in the coliseum. Their roars filled the competing teams with both anticipation and slight nervousness. Each and everyone of them was eager to either watch or participate in the day's events, though DJ noticed that a certain water-flying type looked off put.

DJ nudged Asura in the side and indicated his head towards the representatives from the Charizard Guild. "Does Oceanus look off to you?"

Asura frowned at the Lucario and looked over the group. "He does look tired...and slightly troubled. Maybe it's because he didn't get first place and his team's giving him grief?"

"Maybe..." DJ said, clearly not believing that to be the case. Before he could come up with any other possibility, Treble began addressing the audience once more.

"AS A RECAP, AFTER YESTERDAY'S EVENT AND BATTLE PHASE, IN FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE A TIE BETWEEN BOTH WIGGLYTUFF'S AND GALLADE'S GUILD WITH SEVEN POINTS, IN SECOND PLACE WE HAVE CHARIZARD'S GUILD WITH THREE POINTS, IN THIRD IT'S GOLEM'S GUILD WITH TWO POINTS, AND IN A TIE FOR LAST PLACE, NOIVERN'S AND AGGRON'S GUILD WITH ONE POINT EACH!" The crowd roared in approval, shaking the stands with their excitement. "IT'S STILL ANYONE'S GAME AT THIS POINT, FOLKS, SO LET'S GET TO TODAY'S EVENT!"

The goblet once again appeared next to the Chatot in a brilliant light. With an over dramatic flourish of his wing, he boldly plunged his wing into the goblet and pulled out a slip of paper.

"THE NAME OF THE GAME IS...BRUTAL PATH!"

The crowed roared loudly in their excitement, not even caring that they did not know what Brutal Path was. As they did, the stadium floor shook violently as six tunnel entrances arose from the ground, leading downwards.

"BRUTAL PATH, AS THE NAME MAY SUGGEST, IS ONE OF THE MOST BRUTAL AND DIFFICULT EVENT WE OFFER HERE AT THE GAMES!" Treble said, becoming serious as he gestured towards the entrances. "EACH OF THESE ENTRANCES LEAD DOWN TO A LONG TUNNEL CONTAIN MULTIPLE WILD POKÉMON JUST WAITING TO ATTACK ANYONE WHO DARES TO ENTER THEIR DOMAIN!"

He looked directly at the six teams and smirked almost evilly. "THE GOAL OF BRUTAL PATH IS TO GO AS FAR AS YOU CAN IN THE TUNNEL. YOUR MAIN GOAL IS TO REACH THE VERY END OT THE TUNNEL AND THE GOAL. AT ANY TIME YOU ARE ABLE TO CALL IT QUITS AND WE WILL EVACUATE YOU AND YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY GAIN ZERO POINTS. NOW, CHOOSE WHICH ONE OF YOU WILL PARTICIPATE IN THIS EVENT!"

"Me!" Sobek shouted immediately, loud enough to garner the attention of several other teams. The Krookodile had the decency to look sheepish, though he did not back down. "I want to do this one!"

Kimberly opened her mouth to most likely snap at the ground-dark type, but Asura spoke first. "That's actually a good idea."

"What?!" Kimberly shouted.

"It makes since that he do this event," Asura explained. "With his moxie ability, he'd have the best shot at tearing through the tunne;."

"But the purpose of this game is to get _through_ the tunnel. Not fight every in there," Collin stated bluntly.

"I won't fight everything!" Sobek growled.

"This coming from the guy that wanted to fight all of the teams in the maze instead of looking for the exit," DJ said wryly.

Sobek rounded on DJ and growled lowly, "I won't do that."

"Are you certain?" Veil asked. "Once your moxie is activated, you will begin to lose yourself to your own blood lust, which will only increase the more Pokémon you defeat. Can you truly be sure that you will not lose control?"

Sobek was silent, contemplating Veil's words. "Yes," he said finally, stubbornness and determination both burning in his beady black eyes. "This fight is mine."

"If you're sure, then go ahead," Collin said with a nonchalant shrug. "Don't screw up."

Sobek growled at the Blaziken but said nothing as he walked past the group and walked away. He did roughly bump into Collin as he walked away.

"Asshole," Collin grumbled. "You guys think he'll be able to do it?"

"I think he's got a good chance," Asura said before adding, "as long as he stays in control."

"Joy," DJ said, not really paying attention, instead paying attention to the group from Charizard's guild. It looked as if the Zoroark, Malum if he remembered correctly, was moving to go down to the arena. She was then stopped by the Gengar who whispered something in her ear. Malum seemed to freeze in place, growing pale under her fur, before nodding and hurriedly rushing out. The others looked disconcerted by the Gengar, but said nothing.

DJ frowned deeply at the exchange. He didn't know what was going on, but he didn't like it.

-Legend-

In a matter of minutes, Sobek, Malum, Aquila, Precipice, Kid, and Gasher stood before the six tunnel entrances. Malum looked around at the group around her and smirked mischievously.

"You all might as well give up now," she boasted. "I'll be the one winning this thing."

"Hey, hey!" Gasher exclaimed, snapping his pincers in anger. "Don't count your Torchic before they hatch! Any one of us could win this!"

"Yeah, he's right," Kid exclaimed, flaring her wings. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I intent to _blaze_ through this!"

"That pun physically hurt," Precipice grumbled, though he to looked read to go as well.

Sobek did nothing but grumble lowly, eyes firmly planted on his tunnel entrance.

Malum shrugged, her grin never leaving her face. "Whatever you say. Just don't be surprised when you lose!"

Any further discussion was cut off by Treble addressing them. "IF YOU ARE ALL READY..." They all turned to their respective tunnels and tense in preparation to run headlong into their tunnels. "THEN...GO!"

With that, they all charged into their tunnels.

The second they entered their respective tunnels, the entrances closed off sealing them in. Torch light burst to life, illuminating a very long, empty hallway. Well, it was empty for a second before light burst from the tunnel, temporarily blinding the occupants. When the light faded, what looked like hundreds of Pokémon lined the tunnel. They all glared angrily at the new occupants and attacked.

-Legend-

On the outside, six screens appeared, showing the six combatants as they fought against the hordes of Pokémon.

"IT LOOKS LIKE OUR COMBATANTS HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH THE IN HABITANTS OF THE TUNNELS!" Treble exclaimed for all to hear. "LET'S SEE HOW THEY FARE..."

In Sobek's tunnel, they could see the Krookodile grin ferally at the assembled Pokémon before stomping harshly on the ground, sending out a massive shockwave through the ground. The tunnel shook , knocking several Pokémon off their feet and knocking out the few electric types that were present. The second he did, his eyes flashed red.

"UH OH!" Treble said, taking note of Sobek's red eyes. "IT LOOKS LIKE SOBEK'S MOXIE IS ACTIVATING! THAT SPELLS TROUBLE FOR THE OTHER POKÉMON!"

"Damn, already?" Asura said, mostly to himself than the others.

"This could be bad," Collin said.

"It already is," DJ said, pointing to the screen.

True to his words, Sobek was now tearing through the Pokémon as they started to swarm. He was still slowly moving forward, but now he was wildly lashing out with claws and teeth at everything in front of him.

"He's already gone wild," Asura said, cursing under his breath."

"I knew this would happen," Kimberly said.

"Nothing we can do now, but hope he pulls through," DJ said, looking at the screen.

In the other tunnels the other competitors were making more or less the same amount of progress. Both Precipice and Kid were flying over head to the best of their ability, launching stone edges and embers respectively at those under them. Despite the fact that they were flying, the tunnel's ceiling was fairly low, so they were always in reach of the Pokémon under them.

At one point, a clawed hand managed to reach out and grab Kid's foot. The shiny Talonflame gave a shrill cry of surprise as she was pulled down to the ground. The wild Pokémon instantly pounced on her, covering her to the point where she could no longer be seen on screen.

"OOH, THAT LOOKS LIKE TROUBLE FOR KID!" Treble exclaimed, sounding far too happy for what was occurring.

However, before anyone could truly begin to worry for the Talonflame, a burst of blue fire erupted out from under the pile. Multiple Pokémon were sent flying as Kid rocketed to the air using flare blitz.

"WOW, WHAT A DARING ESCAPE BY KID," Treble narrated. "SHE IS NOW BACK IN THE AIR AND MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE END ALONG WITH PRECIPCE. AS FOR OUR OTHER CONTENDORS..."

On the other screens, Gasher could be seen sending tidal waves at the Pokémon in his path. Many were knocked away from the Crawdaunt and the ones that managed to escape the water to attack him were dealt with swiftly by several well placed crabhammers. Despite his progress in dealing with enemies, his progress through the actual tunnel was slow due to his natural speed. Granted, he was scuttling around as fast as he could, but he was considerably slower than both Precipice and Kid.

"Hey, hey. This is rough," he groaned as he tried to go faster.

In another tunnel, Aquila was practically flying through his opponents. He was constantly leaping into the air, performing several heart stopping feats of acrobatics before slamming into the Pokémon under him. While he was dealing a lot of damage to those he hit, his progress was slow as he had to get in close then immediately back off to avoid getting hit.

"AND AQUILA TAKES DOWN ANOTHER FOE!" Treble exclaimed. "IS THERE NO STOPPING HIM?!"

"Looks like Aquila's strong as ever," DJ commented, looking at the wrestling Pokémon with a smile.

"It would appear so," Asura commented, glancing at the screen before turning back to Sobek's. He barely held in a groan as he saw the Krookodile viciously attacking a Pokémon. He wasn't even moving in the direction of the goal anymore.

"ALL OF THE COMBATANTS ARE PROCEEDING SMOOTHLY THROUGH THEIR TUNNELS, THOUGH IT WOULD APPEAR SOBEK IS LAGGING BEHIND," Treble announced. "IT APPEARS THAT HE FINDS ATTACKING THE WILD POKÉMON MORE APPEALING THAN REACHING HIS GOAL!"

"I knew this was a bad idea," Kimberly grunted. "For Arceus' sake, he's known for losing control at the guild! Why the hell did we trust him with this?!"

"I had hoped that he would be able to keep his goal in mind during this challenge," Asura sighed resignedly."

"YES IT WOULD APPEAR THAT HE'S LOST HIMSELF TO HIS MOXIE ABILITY," Treble continued. "AT THIS RATE, HE WILL BE THE LAST TO-"

Treble was cut off by the sound of many Pokémon crying out in fright. Everyone turned to Malum's screen and saw that every Pokémon in the tunnel appeared to be lassoed by stone restraints. Malum herself was smirking widely as she casually walked through the tunnel unopposed.

"AND MALUM HAS REACHED THE GOAL!" Treble shouted as the Zoroark reached the end. "WITH AN EFFECTIVE USE OF HER ILLUSION ABILITY, MALUM IS THE FIRST TO GET THROUGH BRUTAL PATH!"

All at once, a light engulfed the tunnel and when it faded, it was once again empty. There was a brief flash in the center of the arena and Malum appeared looking slightly disoriented, but still incredibly smug.

"WITH ONE COMBATANT OUT OF THE TUNNEL, WHO WILL BE THE NEXT TO COMPLETE THIS EVENT?!" Treble exclaimed as he flew over towards the monster fox Pokémon. He glanced up at the screens and smirked. "MOST LIKELY NOT SOBEK."

Several onlookers laughed at this, including Spire who laughed loudly and purposely at the team from Gallade's Guild. DJ glared angrily at the Charizard, but said nothing in favor of turning back to his group.

"Is he allowed to just make comments like that?" he asked furiously.

"It's unprofessional, but there's no rules against it," Asura said. While his voice was calm, DJ could see the tell-tale signs of irritation flicker across the Medicham's face.

"This is why I hate Chatot," Collin grunted. "They don't know when to keep comments like that to themselves.

"Despite what he has said, the Chatot looks to be correct in his assessment," Veil said bluntly, watching their current teammate tearing into another Pokémon.

"AND AS SOBEK ATTACKS YET ANOTHER POKÉMON, KID HAS SUCCSSFULLY REACHED THE END WITH A RATHER ROUGH LANDING!" Treble exclaimed as the fire-flying type had crashed into the opposing wall, falling to the ground in a daze, but, nonetheless, completing the task.

"Come on, Sobek..." DJ said under his breath. "Snap out of it!"

-Legend-

Sobek was having a blast in the tunnel. He had long forgotten the reason for him being there, but he didn't care. Sure he had taken some damage, but he dealt it back tenfold. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been able to fight like the way he was. With each foe he knocked out, his strength continued to grow and grow to heights he never though possible. He loved that feeling of power that he was gaining from defeating everything in sight. And the best part was his enemies seemed endless. He was truly in heaven!

However, there was something nagging at him in the back of his mind. He could not help bu think that he was there for something important. It gnawed on his psyche and he found himself enjoying the endless fighting less and less.

He heard a dull thunder of someone talking followed by what sounded like thunder. He was confused as to why he would hear thunder as he was underground. Listening carefully he realized that it wasn't thunder. It was applause.

Slowly, his mind came back to him. The red haze that had covered his mind gave way to the memories of the games and the reason for him being in the tunnel. He cursed himself for allowing himself to lose control and immediately started to move towards the opposite end of the tunnel as fast as he could.

-Legend-

"OH? IT WOULD APPEAR THAT SOBEK IS ONCE AGAIN MAKING HIS WAY TOWARDS THE END!" Treble exclaimed, his team to sigh in relief.

"Thank Arceus," Collin said, slumping against the railing.

"He's not out of the woods yet," Asura commented. "He still needs to get through the remaining Pokémon."

"That and despite his power boost, he has taken some damage," Veil said. "He will be hard pressed to make it through at the moment."

They all watched as Sobek charged boldly through the hordes of Pokémon, not even attempting to attack the other Pokémon anymore. They could see fatigue settling in his now black eyes as his moxie was deactivated, but he still trudged forward. Attacks slammed against his body, each one adding to the pain he felt, but he refused to go down. With each painstaking step, he drew closer and closer until he finally collapsed at the end.

"AND SOBEK HAS MADE IT TO THE END!" Treble shouted.

Sobek felt the ground underneath him disappeared before being replaced by sand. He then became aware of the cheering and opened a bleary eye. Seeing that he was back in the stadium he struggled to his feet, not wanting to show weakness. He wanted to be seen strong and proud, especially after getting through the tunnel, though when he heard Treble's next words, he wished he could fall unconscious.

"WITH THAT, SOBEK IS THE LAST TO EXIT BRUTAL PATH AND THUS WINS NO POINTS FOR HIS GUILD!"

Sobek's stomach dropped at those words. He had known he had messed up by giving into his bloodlust, but it had never occurred to him that he would come in dead last. He wanted to bury himself away, away from all of the eyes of the stadium. He had brought shame to his guild with his display. He was stuck in such a self-loathing that he barely heard Treble going over the scores.

"WITH THE POINTS FROM TODAY'S EVENTS, IN FIRST PLACE,WITH TWO MORE POINTS EARNED BY GASHER, IS WIGGLYTUFF'S GUILD WITH A TOTAL OF NINE POINTS! IN SECOND, WITH AN ADDITION OF FIVE POINTS, WE HAVE CHARIZARD'S GUILD WITH EIGHT POINTS! IN THIRD, HAVING EARNED NO POINTS TODAY, IS GALLADE'S GUILD WITH SEVEN POINTS! WITH SIX POINTS, IT'S GOLLEM'S GUILD IN FOURTH PLACE! IN FIFTH PLACE, WITH AN ADDITION OF TWO POINTS TO THEIR ONE, WE HAVE AGGRON'S GUILD. AND IN LAST PLACE, WE HAVE NOIVERN'S GUILD WITH TWO POINTS!"

The crowd and teams cheered loudly for the teams. Some, like Malum, stood proud and smug before the audience, lavishing in cheers, but Sobek wanted to hide himself away.

"If you'd all head back up to your boxes, we can move on to the fighting phase," Treble told the group, for once not shouting.

As the six combatants began to make their way towards the exit, Malum whispered to Sobek. "Wow, last place? And here I thought you were the strongest member of Gallade's Guild. I guess you guys really are pathetic."

Sobek didn't even offer a rebuttal, to ashamed to even speak. This just caused Malum to laugh maliciously and skip away, leaving Sobek alone to climb the stairs of shame to his team.

-Legend-

"Looks like you Krookodile is a little wild," Aodhan commented snidely to Tobias. "Where'd you find him? A dungeon?"

Tobias looked at the smug Charizard from the corner of his eye, disdain and annoyance prevalent. "There is nothing wrong with Sobek. He has only lost control, something that even the best of us have gone through at some point. After all, we're all just a single step above wild Pokémon ourselves. It is easy to fall into a more primal state, especially with an ability like moxie."

Aodhan just scoffed, "Sound's like a sore loser's attempt to lessen a win."

"Ye'd do well to remember tha' yer only ahead by a small margin," Bour pointed out. "Any of us could come back and win."

"Hmph," Aodhan grunted haughty. He gave the Gallade a final superior smirk before turning back to the arena.

Tobias on the other hand had was watching the box where his team was as Sobek entered.

-Legend-

When Sobek entered the box he was met with silence. The Pokémon assembled all looked at him with unreadable expressions that cut deeply at the Krookodile.

"I'm...sorry," Sobek mumbled, bowing his head in shame. "I...I lost control. I allowed myself to get swept up by my own desire to fight and a forgot about the reason I was there. I just...I wanted...I'm sorry."

For a second, nobody spoke. Sobek fists clenched tightly, his claws digging into his flesh. He felt like a child that just got caught doing something that they weren't supposed to. His face burned with embarrassment and shame as guilt ate away at his heart.

"What have you learned?" Asura broke the silence. Sobek flinched at the underline disappointment in the Medicham's voice.

"Not to lose control like that," Sobek mumbled.

"Why?"

"Because I lose focus on my goal," Sobek said, his already red face turning even redder. Under the meditate Pokémon's stern glare he really felt like a child.

Asura looked at him blankly for a second before turning away. "Okay."

Sobek's head snapped up. "What?!"

"Yeah, what?!" Kimberly exclaimed in both shock and anger, the former sentiment mirrored by both Collin and DJ.

"He has understood the consequences of his actions, thus learned a lesson," Asura said calmly.

"B-But he caused us to drop two places!" Kimberly shouted.

"And having his blunder viewed by everyone is more than enough punishment for that." Sobek winced at that, but said nothing as Asura continued. "You must also keep in mind that these games are meant to not only showcase our abilities, but to allow us to grow. I believe that with this lessen, Sobek has grown."

He looked over to the red crocodilian Pokémon with a stern look and Sobek immediately nodded. "Yes, I've learned my lessen!"

"Good," Asura said, smiling slightly at the normally volatile Krookodile's fear.

Sobek sighed in relief as the Medicham's gaze left him. He found himself sweating profusely, still in shock over being forgiven so easily. He looked at the others and winced when he saw the angry glare sent his way from Kimberly and the annoyed stare from Collin. He knew he deserved it, especially after all the big talk he had given. He was broken from his musings when a paw was placed on his shoulder.

"At lease you came to in the end." Sobek just gave the Lucario a deadpan stare.

"Thank you, that make's me feel _so_ much better." DJ just smiled cheekily at the ground-dark type's sarcasm and Sobek found himself smirking back albeit begrudgingly.

-Legend-

From across the stadium, Tobias smiled at his team. He was happy that his son had gotten past his own competitiveness to not only reassure and ally, but also teach him a lesson. In that regard, he was happy with the results of the previous event as he was sure that this was the push Sobek needed to get his act together. It was also that failure that showed the kinsmanship between this mishmashed team. Despite the obvious anger and disappointment, they did not shun the Krookodile despite his arrogant actions towards them in the past. It warmed his heart to see the acceptance among his guild members. To him, it was worth more than all the points in the world.

Tobias was soon drawn from his thoughts by the reappearance of the digitized wheel from the other day. Treble flew up with an elaborate flourish of his wings and the wheel began to spin.

"I wonder what today's battle phase will entail," Plate said, excitement creeping into his gruff voice.

"We shall soon see," Tobias commented with a small smile.

"Let us hope that whatever battle it is, your team will be able to regain _some_ face over what happened today," Aodhan snarked maliciously at the Gallade. Tobias just ignored the Charizard, not wanting to dealt with his childishness, and focused on the still spinning wheel. After a while, the wheel slowed to a stop, revealing the battle phase.

"IT'S DOUBLE BATTLE!" Treble announced as the crowd erupted in shouts.

"A double battle is it? This should be interestin'," Bour grunted in approval.

"Just another opportunity to show how strong my guild is," Aodhan boasted.

"I'm surprised you haven't floated away with that big head of yours," Echo commented dryly, earning a growl from the flame Pokémon.

"If you two would be quiet for a second, we'd be able to hear what," Plate interrupted. Aodhan gave a final snarl at the Noivern, which she promptly ignored, and turned back to the music note Pokémon in the arena.

"I WON'T BOTHER EXPLAINING THE RULES OF DOUBLE BATTLES AS I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW HOW THEY WORK, SO WE'LL JUST SKIP TO WHO'S BATTLING WHO!" Treble exclaimed.

He threw both his wings into the air, pointing dramatically at the screen once more. The screen flashed for a second before a list of three separate battles was listed.

 _First Battle: Aggron's Guild Vs. Wigglytuff's Guild_

 _Second Battle: Noivern's Guild Vs. Golem's Guild_

 _Third Battle: Charizard's Guild Vs. Gallade's Guild_

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS!" Treble said. "THE ORDER IN WHICH OUT COMBATANTS WILL FIGHT!"

"Hmph, too bad for you, Tobias. Looks like my guild's lead over yours will increase," Aodhan said smugly. "My boys are unbeatable when fighting together."

"We'll see about that," Tobias said with a laid back, yet still challenging, smirk.

-Legend-

"So we're up against Charizard's guild," Asura said pensively. He glanced over at the guild members and saw the Charizard brothers appeared to getting themselves ready. "It looks like both Landon and Spire are preparing to fight."

"If that's the case I should be in this fight," Kimberly pointed out.

Asura nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, that would be best," he said. "I would also say Sobek, but he's still injured from Brutal Path..."

"And I refuse to work with him!" Kimberly snapped.

"so that limits our options," Asura said undeterred. "Since Veil is the only one left that doesn't have a weakness to either fire or flying, he should-"

"I want to fight!" DJ interjected.

Asura paused. "DJ, you do realize you have a weakness to fire, don't you?"

"I don't care about that," DJ said defiantly, slamming a fist into his palm. "I've got a score to settle with Landon."

Asura sighed and pinched what would be the bridge of his nose. "DJ, I understand that you have a grudge against him, but, if you were in this battle, you'd be up against _two_ fire types. It would not be a one on one."

"I realize that, but I still want, no, I _need_ to do this," DJ said beseechingly.

Asura just sighed loudly. "You'd just go regardless of what I said, wouldn't you?"

"What? I would never do such a thing!" DJ said unconvincingly.

"Of course you wouldn't," Asura deadpanned before sighing in defeat. "Fine. You and Kimberly will-"

"Hold on a sec!"

"For the love of Arceus," Asura said under his breath before turning to the Blaziken. "What?"

"Kimberly already got to participate in one of the events," Collin said. "It's my turn."

"But they have a type advantage on you too," Kimberly argued. "At least with me I could tank some hits for DJ!"

"Yeah, but Charizard are fast when in the air and, no offense, you're not that fastest one here," Collin pointed out. "If you can't hit them, then it'll just be a waiting game."

"Why you little..." Kimberly growled angrily. "I'm not fat!"

"I didn't say you were!" Collin defended. "I just said I was faster!"

"Enough!" Asura shouted, causing both quarreling Pokémon to freeze. Asura looked directly at Collin as he said, "You want to fight? Fine. But I expect you to win. Both of you," he added, looking at DJ.

"Yes, sir!" DJ and Collin chorused before they both ran off before Asura could change his mind.

"Was that truly wise?" Veil asked.

"No, Veil, it wasn't," Asura said, massaging his temples, practically feeling the beginnings of a headache. "But if I didn't give in, I'd never hear the end of it."

"I see," Veil said, turning back to the arena, a curious look in his jeweled eye.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Double Battles

"What the hell is Asura thinking letting those two fight two Charizard?!" John groaned irritably to the rest of Team Sunflare.

"It does seem like a poor choice," Tyler commented.

"Of course it's a bad choice! They both have a type disadvantage!" Kent shouted. "They're going to get crushed."

"You shouldn't underestimate your leader, or DJ for that matter." John scowled towards the stoic dragon-ground type of Team Stardust.

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said," Drake replied. "While the two Charizard have the type advantage, you don't go far in this line of work without being able to overcome such disadvantages."

"Yeah, but it is still rather foolish to take that kind of chance," Jesse said. "It would have been safer if they chose Kimberly."

"Why did they even agree with this choice?" Max asked aloud, frowning down at the two dual fighting types.

"I don't know about Collin, but I think I know why DJ agreed to this," Katara commented.

Jackson's eyes widened in understanding. "That time in Chrysolis!"

Katara nodded her head in confirmation. Dawning looks flickered over the other member of Team Stardust faces while ones of confusion came over Team Sunflare.

"What happened in Chrysolis?" John questioned.

"We ran into Spire and his team on an escort mission to Chrysolis," Katara explained. "DJ ended up fighting Spire and lost. My guess is that DJ wants payback."

"That would make sense," Blade said with a sigh.

"And if I know Collin, he just got tired of waiting," Jesse said.

"Fighting types," John huffed, leaning back in his seat.

-Legend-

On the field, standing near Treble, stood those that were chosen to represent her guild. Sindor, Charlotte, Flora, Boomer, Skylar, Aquila, Spire, Darian, Red, Landon, Collin, and DJ all stood proudly before the assembled audience.

Treble looked around at the assembled fighters and smiled happily. "NOW THAT WE HAVE OUR FIGHTERS FOR THIS EVENT, LET'S GET THESE BATTLES ON THE ROAD!"

As he said this, a bright glow erupted from the side of the stadium. When it faded, a large clear spectator's box appeared in its place. An almost unnoticeable door swung out from the box, allowing entrance.

"NOW IF THE FOUR TEAMS NOT PARTICIPATING IN THE FIRST FIGHT WOULD PLEASE STEP INTO THE VIEWING BOX..."

All of the combatants, save Sindor, Charlotte, Flora, and Boomer, all walked over to the newly created box. As the last of them entered, the door closed and seemed to meld seamlessly with the rest of the box.

"NOW IF THE FOUR COMBATANTS WILL TAKE THEIR SIDE," Treble said, gesturing for the remaining four to move to opposite sides of the stadium.

"Talk about up close and personal," Collin said wryly.

DJ hummed in agreement and glanced around at those around him. Seeing Aquilla, he walked over. "Hey, Aquila! Long time no see!"

The Hawlucha gave him a strange look. "Um, do I know you?"

"Oh, right! I was in disguise when we first met," DJ said sheepishly. "We met back at the tournament that Fenrir was holding a few months ago."

Aquila's eyes widened in surprise. "Oran?"

"Well my name's really DJ, but yeah."

"Why'd you change your name?" he asked suspiciously.

"Like I said, I was undercover. I was assigned with the task of linking Fenrir to several crimes and to bring him in," DJ explained.

"Huh, I take it that it went well?"

"Yep. So you joined a guild?"

"Yeah, I joined shortly after I lost to you in the tournament." A challenging smirk appeared on his face. "I've gotten quite a bit stronger now."

DJ met his smirk with a grin of his own. "Is that so?"

"It is."

The electricity flashing between the two was almost palpable. It was clear that both fighting types were eager to battle.

"You know, most Lucario are supposed to be calm and collected," a voice called from behind the two Pokémon, pulling their attention. Red, the other Lucario stood a ways behind them, giving DJ a stern look. "Show you pride."

Normally DJ would have snapped back with some form of retort, but he felt the words die in his throat as he gazed at the other Lucario. While he did not look intimidating, or at least more than Alistair, but his eyes caught him off guard. Instead of the normal red eyes that DJ had though he had seen, the Lucario had one red eye and one dark blue.

Red noticed the former human's gaze and scowled. "Yes, my eyes are different colors, now close you mouth and at least attempt to act refined!"

Snapping from his stupor, DJ bristled. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do?"

"A Lucario with class," Red responded haughtily. "Whoever trained you must have been an idiot."

"Don't you dare talk about Gramps!" DJ growled angrily, taking a step towards the heterochromatic Lucario only for Collin to grab his wrist. "Let me go, Collin."

"And risk you getting us disqualified? No thanks," the Blaziken said. "Do I have to remind you that he's not our opponent for this fight?"

DJ growled angrily at the blaze Pokémon, but he did not let go. Finally, DJ relented. He snatched his arm out of Collin's grip and turned away from the smug Lucario. "You better kick his ass, Aquila," he growled angrily.

"I intend to," Aquila said. Before he could say more, Treble's voice drew their attention once more.

"ARE BOTH TEAMS READY?!"

"Oh my gosh! I'm ready!" the Sunflora exclaimed giddily. "How about you, Boomer."

"YEAH, LET'S ROCK!" the Exploud roared, his voice almost as loud as Treble.

"Stay on guard, Charlotte," the Emboar commented gruffly. "These two are no pushovers."

"I understand," the Clefable said with a nod.

Treble looked at the quartet and nodded. "THEN WITHOUT FURTHER ADIEU, LET THE DOUBLE BATTLE BETWEEN AGGRON'S GUILD AND WIGGLYTUFF'S GUILD BEGIN!"

The second Treble flew off the battle field, the Sindor exploded forward, flames encompassing his body. Both Boomer and Flora leapt away just as the Emboar smashed into the ground where the duo once stood.

In the air, Flora swung her leaf-like arms and flung a barrage of razor leaves at the fire-fighting type. Seeing the attack, Sindor leapt back before jumping at her with another flame charge. Just before he hit, a blast of visible sound waves intercepted him.

The boomburst smashed into the flame wreathed Emboar and sent him crashing to the ground. As Sindor pushed himself to his feet, he saw Boomer charging towards him, his mouth glowing with dark type energy.

"Charolette!" Sindor shouted.

"Right!" the Clefable responded, her eyes flashing with power.

Just as Boomer was about to sink his teeth into Sindor's arm with a Crunch, a veil of energy engulfed the fire-fighting type's body and he felt a thin barrier block his attack somewhat. Before the normal type could react, Sindor smashed a power-up punch into his face, sending him reeling.

"WHAT THE HECK?" Boomer exclaimed, massaging his jaw.

"Sorry," Charlotte said with a mischievous grin, "but you won't be doing much damage with my reflect activated."

"Then how about this!" Flora shouted from the side. The grass type formed a green sphere of energy and launched it at the fairy type.

Charlotte just grinned. "Nothing doing!" Her eyes flashed once more and a veil of golden energy engulfed her along with the blue, creating a greenish light. The energy ball slammed into the veil and dispersed, doing very little damage.

"You can't beat our combination!" Sindor shouted, dashing forward with a flame charge and slamming into the grass type.

"FLORA!" Boomer shouted. He ran forward to help his friend, but was stopped by Charlotte. Before he could react, he was blasted back by a sudden dazzling gleam.

"You two might as well give up now," Charlotte boasted. "There's no way you two can win!"

"UH OH," Treble commented from his position in the air. "IT LOOKS LIKE BOOMER AND FLORA ARE IN TROUBLE NOW!"

Boomer grumbled lowly as he pushed himself back to his feet, and glared at the two Pokémon. Ignoring them for the moment, he looked to Flora, concern flashing in his eyes. "Flora, are you okay?"

Flora turned and blushed slightly and squealed, "Oh my gosh!"

Boomer winced at the squeal. "WHAT THE HECK, FLORA?! I WAS JUST ASKING IF YOU WERE OKAY!"

"I'm fine!" she almost shrieked, turning away from the Exploud, her pale face a bright red. "You don't have to worry!"

"WELL ALRIGHT!" Boomer huffed. He turned his head away from the Sunflora, but the audience could see a faint blush color his cheeks. "I WON'T ASK YOU AGAIN!"

"What do you mean by that?!" Flora shouted, whipping her head around to glare at the Exploud. "Is my safety not important to you?!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I SAID!" Boomer exclaimed, facing the sunflower Pokémon once more. "YOU JUST SAID THAT YOU WERE FINE!"

"So you won't ask again?!"

"WELL IF YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SAY YOU'RE FINE EVERYTIME!"

As the duo bickered among themselves, the crowd all sweat-dropped in unison. Those two had it bad for each other.

"Um, could we get back to the fight?" Charlotte questioned uncertainly. Her voice went to be ignored as the two members of Wigglytuff's guild continued to argue with each other. This seemed to annoy Sindor to the point where his flames seemed to explode in fury.

"Will you two stop acting bickering like an old married couple and fight?!" This appeared to be the right, and the wrong thing to say.

"WE'RE NOT A MARRIED COUPLE!" the duo shouted in anger, turning on the other two. Before the two from Aggron's guild could react, the duo was upon them.

Boomer lunged forward and smashed into Sindor with a powerful giga impact, sending the mega fire pig Pokémon flying. Charlotte cried out in shock as her partner was sent flying, even with reflect still intact. She turned to the loud noise Pokémon and shot a dazzling gleam at the temporarily stunned Pokémon, but her attack was stopped by Flora who jumped in front of the attack and conjure a shield that looked to be made of flower petals.

The attack slammed into the shield and dispersed, doing no visible damage. Flora glared coldly at the Clefable and fired an energy ball at the fairy Pokémon. Charlotte expected attack to do hardly any damage like before, but when it hit, she gasped out in pain as the attack exploded and sent her soaring through the air. She smashed into the ground by her partner and struggled to get back up.

Just as the duo was starting to get up, Boomer took a inhaled deeply and released an earsplitting shriek that generated a wave of wind that barreled towards the recovering duo. The wave of sound slammed into the duo, causing them to clutch their ears in pain. Boomer continued to release a continuous blast of sound at the Emboar and Clefable, fixing them in place. Treble looked like he was trying commentate, but nobody could hear him over the Exploud's hyper voice.

With the two still stuck in Boomer's hyper voice, Flora stepped up next to him, seemingly unaffected by the sound. She raised her head towards the sun and seemed to be basking in the light. Then the golden petals that framed her head all began to glow as energy from the sun began to soak into her body. After several seconds, she turned her face towards the two encumbered and released a large beam of light energy from her face towards the two.

Eye clenched and ears covered, the duo from Aggron's guild were unprepared for the large beam that melded in with the sound waves. The combined attack exploded as it came into contact with the two Pokémon, filling the entire coliseum with smoke.

The crowd waited with bated breath for the smoke to fully disperse. When it finally did, Sindor and Charlotte were both unconscious on the stadium floor.

"AND IN A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS, FLORA AND BOOMER HAVE WON THE BATTLE, EARNING THEM THREE POINTS FOR THEIR GUILD!"

-Legend-

The crowd all roared in approval, but Flora and Boomer seemed to pay them no mind as they once more began to argue with each other. Up in the stands, a dark cloud of depression seemed hang over Plate's head while Emrys patted him on the back with a carefree smile.

"How did they lose to them," Plate lamented.

"Don't feel bad," Emrys said happily. "My guild members are just super strong~!"

Aodhan grunted in annoyance. "Drama queen."

Despite it being the Charizard that had said it, the other guild masters, sans Emrys and Plate, nodded in agreement.

-Legend-

Back in the stadium, a team of Blissey escorted the two teams into the spectators box and set to treat them. Much to their surprise, Flora and Boomer, despite taking direct hits, two of which were super effective, seemed to have little more than small bruises and scratches.

"Looks like we're up," Aquila said to Skylar.

"Alright, let's clean house!" The Pidgeot boasted confidently.

Red glanced at the two that would be his opponents and scoffed. "How droll." He turned the Haxorus. "Let's make this quick."

The axe jaw Pokémon too looked at their flying type opponents and huffed. "It shouldn't take long."

"Talk about arrogant," DJ mumbled to Collin, earning a nod from the fire-fighting type.

The two teams stalked out onto the field and stood off against the other. Aquila slipped into a fighting stance and Skylar's wings were stretched out, both glaring at their opponents. Darian tensed, reading to move at a moments notice while Red just stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes showing disinterest.

"IF MOST TEAMS ARE READY..." Treble said, glancing at the two sides. "THEN BEGIN!"

Skylar immediately took to the air while Aquila launched forward. Darian growled and ran out to meet the flying-fighting type, his claws becoming engulfed in shadowy energy. Just as he was about to slash at Aquila, the wrestling Pokémon leapt into the air, landed on the dragon type's head, and kicked off, heading straight for Red.

Darian whirled around with a growl. "Oh no you don't!" As he made to go after the Hawlucha a torrent of wind sent him flying across the field.

"Not on my watch, buddy!" Skylar called from in the air, flying after him.

By that point, Aquila had reached Red. White light engulfed his legs as he leapt towards the heterochromatic Lucario, aiming a knee at his stomach. Red scoffed as, in a burst of movement, sidestepped the attack and slammed a drain punch into Aquila's stomach before he could hit the ground.

Pain lanced through Aquila's face, but he quickly recovered. He grabbed Red's wrist, just above where the swirling green energy was encompassing, and flipped over the Lucario. He landed behind him and lunged forward, trying to hit the fighting-steel type with an acrobatics attack, but before he could hit, his disappeared in a blur of movement.

Aquila's eyes widened in shock before his instincts screamed at him. Still using acrobatics, he changed direction just as Red fist punched right where he was.

"Extreme speed," Aquila mumbled, landing lightly before his opponent.

"That's right," Red said smugly. "Can you keep up?"

With that, he exploded forward in a burst of speed. Caught off guard, Aquila was sent hurtling back through the air, hitting the ground and rolled to his feet. Glaring he lunged forward with another acrobatics attack, meeting the Lucario's extreme speed head on.

-Legend-

"WHAT AN AMAZING BATTLE!" Treble shouted. "NEITHER AQUILA OR RED ARE WILLING TO GIVE AN INCH!"

"Those two are really tough," Collin commented.

"Yeah," DJ said almost mechanically. Collin glanced at him.

"What's up?"

"Ugh. I really hate to say, but I think Red's too much for Aquila," DJ said.

"Huh? But they look evenly matched from here," Collin said.

"No, he's right," Flora said, popping up behind them. "If you look closely, you can see Red is not only out speeding him, but with each impact, Aquila is taking more damage."

"That would be his natural defense from being a steel type," DJ added, unperturbed by the the Sunflora's sudden appearance. "It was a good plan, trying to divide the two, but they're too strong for them."

"Too bad it won't help you in our fight, runt." DJ groaned loudly and turned to face the Charizard.

"Do you _have_ to do this know? I'm trying to watch the fights." Spire sneered, all but throwing his chest out, making the ornate silver necklace with a blue and black gem in the center glint in the sun. DJ had noticed that Landon had a similar necklace, though his was gold and had an orange and red stone in it.

"You better hope that this fight lasts, because when it's over, we're going to embarrass you and your guild."

"Whatever you say," DJ said dismissively, though on the inside he was roaring insults at the flame Pokémon.

A sudden loud screech suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention towards Skylar and Darian.

-Legend-

Skylar, who had been launching wild gales of wind at pecks at the dragon type, was suddenly smashed into the ground by a sword dance powered poison jab. Before the poison could even begin to affect the Pidgeot, Darian's axe took on a bright glow and extended slightly. He swung his head down right at Skylar's neck. Skylar cried out in pain before he lost consciousness.

"OOOOH! AND AFTER A DEVESTATING GUILLOTINE, SKYLAR IS OUT OF THE BATTLE!" Treble announced.

Treble's announcement distracted Aquila. He came out of his acrobatic, his body covered in scratches and bruises, and turned towards his downed friend. That was all Red needed.

Red smirked viciously as he used sword dance to increase his strength before dashing forward with an enhanced drain punch. Aquila turned around just in time to be punched in the face with a drain punch. Aquila.

The flying-fighting type was jettisoned through the air towards Darian. Seeing the bipedal bird, he sent ghost type energy into his claw and slashed at Hawlucha. Aquila gave a cry of pain as the claws raked over his body. He collapsed to the ground, struggling to stand.

"Just stay down," Red said, stepping towards the Hawlucha. "You've fought your hardest, but you've done all you can do."

Despite his words being somewhat reassuring and sympathetic, coming from Red, in sounded more condescending than anything. Aquila seemed to take exception to this and continued to try and get up. Red just sighed and raised a paw, forming a green sphere of dragon type energy.

"So be it."

With that, Red fired the dragon pulse at Aquila's back, causing a small explosion. When the dust cleared, Aquila was unconscious.

"AND GOLEM'S GUILD HAS TROUNCED NOIVERN'S GUILD!" Treble cried.

-Legend-

"Ahahaha! Tha's a win for me, lil' missy!" Bour laughed, getting a half groan half growl from the normal-dragon type.

"Oh, shut up you overgrown pebble."

-Legend-

"Hardly a challenge," Red scoffed as he and Darian walked back into the box. The nurses bringing in Skylar and Aquila right behind them. The heterochromatic Lucario glanced at his fellow Lucario from the corner of his eyes. "At least _try_ not to embarrass our species out their. Or better yet, give up and show some sense and not fight the ones with a type advantage."

Before DJ could reply, Spire pushed past him, sending the former human a feral grin. "You should listen to him. It would save us time and your guild embarrassment!"

DJ took a deep calming breath, relishing in the fact that he was about to take his frustrations out on the Charizard and addressed the Lucario. "How about you mind your own damn business and watch the fight?"

Not even waiting for a response, he and Collin exited the box and took their position. Spire was glaring at the two of them with barely restrained sadistic enthusiasm while Landon looked at them sympathetically, though he still looked determined.

"Think we can take them?" Collin questioned.

"One way to find out," DJ responded, glancing at his mega stone.

"NOW, IF BOTH TEAMS ARE READY," Treble recited. "LET THE FINAL MATCH...BEGIN!"

Spire took to the air before Treble had even finished speaking. He flew straight towards DJ, wanting to finish the Lucario before he could even start to defend himself when he was met halfway there by said Lucario. DJ buried a power-up punch in Spire's stomach, catching the Charizard off guard and sending him crashing to the ground.

Landon released a torrent of red hot flames to cover his brother, but it was intercepted by another stream of fire. Turning, Landon was met with the sight of Collin charging towards him, his fist crackling with electricity. Landon was forced to fly back to avoid what would have been a super effective punch.

Spire got to his feet and glared hatefully at the Lucario and spit a wave of red hot flames at the fighting-steel type. DJ leapt back and fired an aura sphere at the Charizard to cover his retreat. Forced to move, Spire to the air and flew at DJ, his claws taking on green dragon type energy.

DJ smirked at the encroaching Charizard and summoned his metal claws. He swung at the Charizard at the same time that he swung his claws and the two attacks clashed against each other. Sparks and flashes on energy burst from the two opposing attacks. The two leapt back before charging at each other again, claws tearing through the air.

On the other side of the field, Landon was on the defensive against Collin's relentless attack. Collin through a flurry of thunder punches at the shiny Pokémon, forcing the larger Pokémon to dodge the best he could. Unfortunately for Landon, he was rather bulky, like most Charizard, and was relatively slow when on the ground. Because of this, Collin was eventually able to land a punch and temporarily stun the fire-flying type. Before he could recover, Collin hit him in the stomach with two swift double kicks.

Landon stumbled back, grunting in pain. As Collin ran at him again, he growled and swung around, batting Collin away with his wings which took on a bright glow. He then took to the skies, his gaze traveling to his brother just in time to see him get thrown back. "Spire!"

His brother glanced up and saw Landon giving him a meaningful look. He sighed in annoyance, "Fine."

Spire then extended his wings and took off, just as an aura sphere smashed into the ground where he had been. Spire flew up to his brother and floated by his side. The siblings looked at each other and nodded. With that, Spire suddenly shot towards DJ, spewing flames as he did so.

DJ was forced to move back to avoid the continual stream of flames, not noticing that he was getting closer to Collin. The moment he was close enough, Landon dove down and released a large flame burst at the ground in between the two. The ball of flames exploded doing damage to both DJ and Collin.

Annoyed, Collin shot a torrent of flames at Landon. Landon's wings took on flying energy once more and he used them as a shield to block the flames. He then swung his wings out, tearing through the flamethrower, and shot towards Collin. Collin prepared a thunder punch to intercept, but at the last second Landon veered upward, revealing Spire who was already in the process of swinging his tail, which was coated in green scales, at him.

Unprepared, Collin was slammed in the stomach with the dragon tail and sent flying into DJ as he was recovering from the flame burst. Both fighting types were flung through the air, right towards Landon who was flying towards them with twin wing attacks. The Charizard dashed past them, his wing clipping them as he flew past. The two Pokémon collapsed to the ground, reeling from the hits.

"IT LOOKS LIKE THE SIBLINGS FROM CHARIZARD'S COMBINATION ARE TOO MUCH FOR DJ AND COLLIN!" Treble shouted. "IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR GALLADE'S GUILD!"

-Legend-

"Looks like my boys are too much for yours," Aodhan boasted, casting a smug look towards the Gallade.

"I wouldn't underestimate those two," Tobias commented, a small smirk splaying across his face. "The battle has just started after all."

"Hmph. Keep talking all high and mighty," Aodhan scoffed, turning back to the field and chuckling gleefully as he watched the two Charizard overwhelm the two fighting types. "Soon you'll be knocked off your high horse."

"Nice to meet you kettle. I'm pot," Tobias drawled, turning his attention back to the field.

-Legend-

The tables had completely turned in the stadium. Collin and DJ were both on the complete defensive, dodging and blocking the relentless attacks from the two brothers. Both Spire and Landon were attacking them with blasts of flames and brutal slashes of claws and wings.

With the momentum of the battle effectively changed, Spire's ego sky rocketed. "What's wrong, runts? Can't keep up? Where was all that confidence from before?!"

He then dive bombed using dragon claws, his eyes zeroed in on DJ as he struggled to his feet. A victorious smirk played over fanged lips. Just as he was about to hit DJ, the Lucario's blue eyes snapped open and swung an arm at Spire. There was a flash of teal light and Spire felt an almost blinding pain erupt across his cheek. He spiraled out of control and skid across the ground.

Spire shook his head in a daze and rose to a kneeling position. When his focus came back he saw his enemy standing confidently with a glowing bone in his hand. DJ then extended his free paw and summoned another bone. He twirled the bones in his paws and sunk low to the ground. "Okay. Let's try this again."

He then dashed forward and unleashed a barrage of swift attacks at the Charizard. Spire defended the best he could, using his wings as impromptu shields, but he could not stop the attacks.

Landon, seeing his brother in trouble, flew to his aid, but was stopped when Collin suddenly shot into the air, his fist cloaked in light. Landon was defenseless as the sky uppercut attack buried itself into his gut, causing the air to escape his lungs. Before he could recover, Collin grabbed onto his wing, pulled himself up, and smashed a thunder punch into the Charizard's back. Landon cried out in pain as he was sent to the ground, muscles spasming from the electricity pulsing through him.

-Legend-

"He knows bone rush!" Bertha shouted angrily. "That's my schtick!"

"Don't you mean bone?" Blitz asked mischievously.

"Blitz, I swear to Arceus that I will brain you to death," Bertha threatened.

"I guess he learned that when he was training with Alistair," Katara commented, ignoring her two teammates.

"That's right." Katara turned and saw Alistair settling into the seat next to her.

"Alistair! You're here!"

"Of course," the elder Lucario chuckled. "I wouldn't miss my students fight! I'd be the laughing stock of all Lucario!"

"Riiiight," Katara said, giving the Lucario a weird look before looking back to her friend. "Why is he using two? Don't most Pokémon when they use bone rush only use one?"

"Typically, yes, but, as you know, DJ never does things in the _typical_ way," Alistair chuckled. "He found that he is able to move and attack much faster when using two." He looked back towards the battle and whistled appreciatively. "Looks like the tides have changed once again."

-Legend-

"How are those two getting pushed back like that?" Oceanus exclaimed in complete shock.

"They have the type advantage," Dire said, equally shocked. "Shouldn't this be an open and closed fight?"

They conversation was silenced as a cold and sinister aura washed over them. They slowly turned their heads and blanched as they saw Guise. The Gengar was still smiling, but there was something dark about it. "Type advantages aren't everything," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Even so, those two should not be losing like so. They are bringing shame to the guild."

"D-Don't count them out yet," Malum stuttered, squeaking slightly when Guise turned his look to her. She swallowed thickly before speaking again. "Th-They still have a few tricks left."

"Hmm, let us hope so," Guise drawled turning back to the battle, either not noticing or not caring about the looks of fear that flashed over his team's faces.

-Legend-

The two flame Pokémon were being pushed back by the fighting type's renewed assault. While the fighting types were nowhere near as coordinated in their attacks as the brothers, they were able to keep them off balance with their continuous assault. In a matter of seconds, both fire-flying types were thrown back to the ground.

"Dammit," Spire growled furiously as he got to his feet. "How is this happening?"

"Looks like their stronger than we first anticipated, even with out type advantage," his brother responded, wincing slightly. "Looks like we'll have go to the next level."

Spire groaned loudly, but nodded. "I honestly didn't think these two would push us this far, but so be it."

"What are you to going on about?" DJ called out warily.

Spire grinned viciously in response. "You'll just have to watch and find out." He extended his wings, making himself seem larger than he was. "Don't blink, or you might just miss it!"

As he said that, both he and Landon were engulfed in a bright red light that stemmed from their necklaces. Both DJ and Collin watched in awe and horror as the Charizard's forms stretched and shifted into new forms. When the light faded the duo gaped at their new enemies.

Both new Charizard were black in color, though they could not look more different. Spire's underbelly was a sky blue. Two curved spikes with blue tips on his shoulders along with similarly blue tips on his horns. The lower trims of his wings were divided into three rounded points with a claw-like spike on the upper portion. His eyes were a blood red with white pupils and blew fire continuously spewed from the edges of his mouth. His tail flame was the same color as the flames from his mouth.

Landon, now a lighter black, almost gray color, looked a lot sleeker than before. He had three horns on his head, the middle of which being significantly longer. Two small wings grew from his wrists while the ones on his back looked slightly more ragged.

"This is our power," Spire said, his voice slightly lower and more animalistic.

"The power of our mega evolution!" Landon added, flapping his wings, sending a strong gust across the stadium.

"You two can mega evolve?" Collin asked in surprise

"Obviously," Spire sneered before smirking. "Now, witness our power."

Before anyone could blink, Spire surged forward, his claws taking on the green aura of dragon claw, though the energy looked significantly stronger. DJ's eyes widened in surprise and was barely able to raise his arms in defense as Spire barreled into him. DJ lost his footing and was dragged across the ground, his feet creating grooves in the ground.

"DJ!" Collin called. He turned to help his friend when he felt the air around him heat up. He turned back around and saw the air around him undulating from intense heat that was apparently coming from the shiny mega. "Drought."

"Correct," Landon responded before taking to the air at much faster speeds than before. "Now prepare to lose."

"Not happening!" Collin denied, shooting into the air with the aid of a sky uppercut. Right before his attack hit, Landon suddenly disappeared. "What?!"

"Too slow." Collin turned only to get hit by a powerful wing attack that rocketed to the ground.

"UH OH. IT LOOKS LIKE THE TABLES HAVE TURNED ONCE AGAIN THANKS TO SPIRE AND LANDON'S SUDDEN MEGA EVOLUTION!" Treble announced.

DJ and Collin payed the Chatot no mind as they were struggling to keep up with the strengthened Charizard. Spire's attacks had all been boosted, thanks to his new typing and his brother's drought ability, and his dragon claws were doing even more damage because of his tough claws ability.

"RAAH!" Spire roared as he raked across DJ's front with an enhanced dragon claw.

"GAH!" DJ cried out in pain, stumbling back. He attempted to use bone rush to deflect the attacks, but Spire just tore through them.

"Pathetic!" Spire said, smashing a dragon tail into the Lucario's side, sending him flying across the field.

Meanwhile, Collin was sending out blasts of fire into the air in an attempt to hit Landon, but the shiny Pokémon was evading the blasts of fire with apparent ease. Landon suddenly shot towards the ground at alarming speeds, his wings taking on a familiar shine. Just before he hit the ground, he straightened out and flew straight towards Collin, who was unable to dodge in time.

The super effective wing attack slammed into Collin's stomach, causing him to cry out in pain and to be thrown into the air. Like a rag doll, Collin tumbled through the air before slamming into the ground near DJ.

Spire flew over to his brother and smirked evilly at the downed duo. "Looks like you two couldn't handle our mega evolution."

"This fight has gone on long enough," Landon said. "I say we finish this."

"I couldn't agree more, brother," Spire said viciously.

"IT LOOKS LIKE SPIRE AND LANDON ARE PREPARING SOMETHING!" Treble shouted. "AND COLLIN AND DJ ARE STILL DOWN WITH NO WAY OF DEFENDING THEMSELVES!"

-Legend-

"This looks bad," Jesse commented worriedly.

"Idiots," John grumbled, his hard expression betrayed by the worry in his voice. "I knew something like this would happen!"

"This looks bad," Blitz said in concern.

"It looks like this is the end of them," Bertha added solemnly.

Alistair just stared impassively, not looking worried or concerned for his students well being. Katara, on the other hand was the definition of worry.

"DJ," she whispered. "Please be okay."

-Legend-

"Looks like Spire and Landon are about to clean up," Malum said giddily.

"Hmph," Guise grunted, a pleased look flashing momentarily. "Serves those weakling right."

-Legend-

"Looks like I win, Tobias," Aodhan taunted, eyeing the field eagerly.

"You'd think that," Tobias began, "but I do believe the saying goes 'the battle is not over until the Snorlax sings.' I am sure that those two will surprise all of us in the end."

"The rambling of one who cannot accept that they've already lost," Aodhan said, not taking his eyes off the field.

-Legend-

Red looked at the two downed fighting types in disdain. "The should have given up from the start. It was a fool's battle to begin with."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Red glanced back at the bandaged Hawlucha and scoffed.

"Oh, please. It was clear who the winner would be from the start. I'm just surprised it has lasted this long."

"JEEZ, WHAT KIND OF FIGHTING TYPE TALKS LIKE THAT?" Boomer questioned loudly. "AREN'T YOU GUYS ALL ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP AND ALL THAT JUNK?"

"Only fools believe that they can win against those that are clearly stronger," Red scoffed.

"That would imply that those Charizard are stronger," Aquila commented.

Red gave him a confused look. "What do you mean by that? It is clear that the Charizard are stronger than them." Aquila just smiled in response.

"Well I don't know about the Blaziken, but I know one thing. Despite the fact that I've only fought him once, I know for a fact that DJ's full of surprises."

"Hmph. We'll see how that confidence is after this next attack," Red said, pointing back to the stadium.

-Legend-

Back in the stadium, the two Charizard had finished preparing for their finishing attack.

"Take this!" Spire roared as he sent a large blue fire blast at the downed fighting types. At the same time, his brother released a large beam of sunlight energy at the two fighting types.

The blue fire blast and the solarbeam met halfway to their intended targets. The solar energy wrapped around the blue symbol, forming a fiery teal colored meteor. The attack hurled through the air at alarming speeds towards DJ and Collin just as they had begun to get back up. Unable to dodge, the attack engulfed them before exploding against the ground.

There was a cacophonous explosion that shook the entire stadium, causing several onlookers to scream in fear, others in horror as they watched the attack consume the two members of Gallade's guild. All that could be seen besides the large wall of smoke were the two Charizard, both of whom were grinning in triumph.

 **Author's Note**

Ooooh, cliffhanger! Haven't done one of those in a while with this fic. Anyway, I wanted to address the fact that DJ was able to use bone rush on Spire who, as a flying type, should have been immune. In the anime, I have seen ground type attacks hit flying types and do damage despite the immunity that exists in the games. As such, I made it so that if the ground type attack is able to hit the flying type, it will do damage. Not very effective damage, but still damage. Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know before people started spamming my inbox saying "ground type moves can't hit flying types!" Feel free to leave reviews as I do read them all and take all comments seriously. Thank you all for reading my fic and see you all next time!


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

A Battle of Mega Proportions

The crowd watched in stunned silence as the glowing meteor smashed into the stadium floor. Not a second later, a violent tempest tore through the air as an explosion erupted from the point of impact. Debris was flung at the psychic barrier around the audience, shattering to dust upon impact. Many of the audience flinched from the sheer volume of the explosion, most of whom were unaccustomed to such battles. Treble himself was hurled through skies, unable to fly straight through the shockwave that followed the attack.

The guild members in the stands all watched with either awe, horror, or worry from the damage that the blast caused. Up in the guildmaster box, Aodhan was looked especially ecstatic while Tobias wore a mask of impassiveness.

A large plume of smoke billowed from the stadium, shielding the entire ground from view. Up above, the two mega Charizard hovered above the destruction, both looking triumphant in their attack.

"Ha! How'd you like that, pup!" Spire jeered at the smoke. He laughed madly as he looked down at the smoke, confident that he had finished off his foe. "I guess you couldn't take the heat!"

He was met with no response, something that made him increasingly giddy. Landon glanced at his brother and shook his head before casting a sympathetic look towards the obscured stadium, feeling slightly guilty over the intensity of their attack.

"WHAT A SPECTACLE, FOLKS!" Treble shouted, slightly winded after fighting to stay in the air. "A BRUTAL COMBINATION FROM SPIRE AND LANDON HAS COMPLETELY SHIELDED THE STADIUM FROM VIEW! I'M NOT ONE TO COUNT MY TORCHIC BEFORE THEY HATCH, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE END OF DJ AND COLLIN!"

"Hmph, might as well call the match now," Spire boasted. "Their both done."

Up in the stands, a certain Charmeleon was shaking his head. "Whelp, it's over," he said. "I said that they wouldn't be able to handle that kind of fight, and now-OW!"

Rubbing the back of his head, he whirled around to snarl at the Frogadier that had just hit him. "What the hell was that for?!"

"You don't know that they've lost," Katara hissed venomously.

"Oh, really?" John said snidely. "News flash, sweetheart, your buddy's part steel type. That attack was both a grass and fire oriented move. There's no way he could-OW! Quit it!"

"Don't call me 'sweetheart'," Katara said coldly, raising her hand threateningly. "You may not have faith in him or your leader, but I do, so shut your mouth!"

"Okay, okay," John said, leaning away from the irate water type. He turned away from Katara, grumbling to himself. "Damn water types and their denial of the obvious."

Katara growled angrily, but said nothing. Instead she looked back towards the stadium, her webbed hands clenched into fists.

 _DJ,_ she thought. _Please be okay._

-Legend-

Back in the stadium, the smoke was just beginning to disperse. Spire waited impatiently in the air, growling every go often. He ignored Treble as the Chatot continued to shout to the audience over what they had just witnessed. He crossed his arms, tapping a claw against his arm in an irritated manner.

Finally, having enough of waiting, Spire flew down to the ground and started beating his wings rapidly. He stirred up a small gust of wind that assisted in dispersing the smoke cloud.

"Come on already!" he shouted as he beat his wings. "I want this to be over with already!"

Spire's shiny counterpart sighed exasperatedly before he too assisted in the dispersal of the smoke. With both twins flapping their wings, the smoke was being blown away at a much quicker pace. Soon, part of the cracked and broken stadium floor could be seen.

Spire grinned a bloodthirsty grin as he saw that damage they had caused. As more smoke was blown away, the visage of two figures could be seen, still slightly obscured. Slowly, the Charizard's grin fell into a frown before becoming a completely gobsmacked expression.

"No way..."

In the center of the now fading were two figures; one kneeling and one standing. On one knee, looking little worse for wear, was a slightly panting DJ with a bruised and battered Collin standing in front of him, his arms in a crossed guard.

"Impossible," Landon murmured, mirroring his brother's sentiment.

"Man that was close," DJ whistled appreciatively, looking up at the Blaziken. "You okay, Collin?"

"More or less," Collin said with barely concealed pain. "Thankfully both fire and grass type moves aren't very effective against me."

"Still, that was quite the hit," DJ commented, getting to his feet, albeit rather shakily. He glanced up at the two mega evolved Pokémon and grinned crookedly. "You two are a lot tougher than I thought, though I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

"You seem awfully calm given your situation," Landon commented, slowly descending until he was a few inches off the ground.

"Situation?" DJ asked curiously.

"Of course," Landon said as Spire flew next to him, sending the Lucario a scathing look. "You can't honestly expect to beat us in your present state."

DJ looked over himself and Collin before chuckling sheepishly. "Heh, I guess you're right."

Spire smirked victoriously, thinking that DJ was about to surrender. He was unpleasantly surprised by what the Lucario said next.

"Then I guess, I'll have to change my current state."

Both Charizard blanched at the Lucario's blatant remark. "What the hell are you on about?!" Spire growled angrily.

"Well, since you've shown us your mega evolution, it only seems right to show you mine," DJ said slyly, raising his arm and bringing attention to his bracer and mega stone.

"Hey! Don't leave me out," Collin exclaimed in offense.

"Huh?"

"You're not the only one who can mega evolve here!" Collin retorted. He reached up and parted the tan feathers that fell over his chest, revealing a silver necklace with a tan and red orb in the center.

"Oh, you can mega evolve too?" DJ questioned.

"Obviously," Collin responded with an eye roll.

"Well alright then," DJ said, cracking his knuckles and giving the two megas a toothy grin. "Then let's get started."

All at once, both of the the fighting type's stones shone brightly. A familiar red light engulfed the duo, encompassing their forms and altering them.

-Legend-

"They can mega evolve?!" Red exclaimed, shocked, angry, and in awe all at once. "I thought that bracer was just for show!"

"I told you," Aquila commented with a smirk, "as far as Lucario's go, he's one in a million."

-Legend-

"Since when can Collin mega evolve?!" John ranted angrily over not knowing this information. The rest of his team looked just as shocked at the Charmeleon but all of them were relieved that their leader was okay.

The rest of Team Stardust was cheering rowdily over this turn of events, completely ignorant to the glares that were getting from the stands' other occupants. Katara clasped her hands together, a smile splayed over her lips.

"Thank Arceus."

-Legend-

"WHAT?!" Aodhan roared in anger and denial over what he was witnessing. "That can't be!"

"Wha'? You didn' think tha' your lot were the only one's tha' could mega evolve, did ye?" Bour questioned, laughing hardly at the glare that was sent his way.

"I must say, it is surprising that they hid this power for so long," Echo commented, looking at the now smirking Gallade. "Is it a fighting type tendency to not go full out until the very end?"

"Possibly," Tobias commented slyly. "Though I have to admit that I find myself pleasantly surprised over this development."

"You mean you didn't know that they could do this?!" Aodhan shouted.

"No, I gave them all a month of training on their own, free of missions," Tobias answered truthfully. "They both have clearly made incredible leaps in power in that time."

-Legend-

Back in the stadium, the red light had finally faded from the duo's new forms. DJ form looked more or less the same with some changes. His paws, feet, and tips of his aura sensors -which now reached the small of his back- appeared to have been dipped in red pain. Black lines stretched over his arms and legs and his 'mask' looked more jagged and sharp. He possessed two spikes on both of his paws and feet along with two that pointed out from the front of his shoulders, in line with his center spike. The tan fur on his chest had grown longer and looked a lot more shaggy. The back of this fur trailed down forming a large bushy tail.

Collin now had black markings on his upper legs and chest. The tan feathers on his head took on a wing-like shape and pointed upwards while the portion around his chest and shoulders also appeared rougher. The antenna-like crest on his head had changed into a horn that was bent back, similar to a small shark fin. The flames around his wrist were now in two long ribbon-like streams.

DJ rolled his neck and stretched his arms. "Man," he said, "it's been a while since I've been in this form. I hope I'm not out of practice."

"I guess we'll find out," Collin responded, smirking at the shell-shocked dragons.

Spire spluttered incoherently as if he did not fully comprehend what he was seeing. Landon too looked shocked, but he schooled his expression. After several seconds of gaping, Spire seemed to find his voice. "W-Well d-don't think that this will make a difference! We still have the type advantage!"

"Because _that_ helped you before you mega evolved," Collin pointed out.

"I think we've talked long enough," DJ said, cutting Spire off before he could retort. "Let's just end this."

"Yes, let's," Spire growled, extending his wings in a show to make himself look bigger. Behind him, Landon prepared himself for the ensuing battle, but Spire ignored him in favor of trash talking. "This won't take long, I promise you. Soon, you'll both be on the ground begging for-"

He was cut off as a red blur dashed past him at dizzying speeds. Spire turned around just in time to see Collin crash into Landon, catching his brother off guard with a thunder punch to his stomach. Landon roared in pain as he was thrown across the stadium floor, the now incredibly speedy Blaziken hot on his trail.

Spire growled and was prepared to assist his brother when a sudden chill traveled down his spine. "You're not part flying any more," a voice said from behind him, "so this will hurt. A lot."

Spire turned his head only to be met with a glowing bone that crashed into the side of his face. Reeling back in pain, Spire shook his head in attempt to alleviate the spots in his vision. Just as his vision came back to him he was met with a relentless barrage. With twin bones in his paws, DJ was ruthless in his attack. Spire was hard-pressed to block let alone dodge the Lucario's attacks and with his type resistance gone, each hit did a considerable amount of damage.

Growling in frustration, Spire released a stream of blue flames at the fighting-steel type, forcing him to leap back to dodge. Trying to capitalize, Spire shot forward, flying low to the ground and channeling dragon type energy into one of his claws. Just as he was about to slash at the Lucario, he banished his bones and met the attack with a metal claw.

Spire's eyes widened in surprise as the claw that formed over the Lucario's paw was a lot larger and sturdier looking than they previously had been. The two claw attacks met the other with a loud clang, generating a plethora of sparks as they scraped against the other.

Seeing the look of confusion on the Charizard's, DJ could not help but to smirk. "Don't look too surprised. My ability now is adaptability. Meaning, any move I use that is my own type is strengthened. Which means-" He pulled back in off hand as a bright orange swirl of energy engulfed it, "-this is gonna hurt!"

Before Spire could react in defense, DJ buried a powered up power-up punch to the fire-dragon type's stomach. Air escaping his lungs, Spire was sent flying away from the aura Pokémon. After several yards he smashed into the ground and skidded to a stop. Slowly getting to his feet, the sound of fighting from behind him drew his attention temporarily from the Lucario to where his brother and the Blaziken were fighting.

Landon was in as much trouble as Spire was. He had taken to the air and shooting flame bursts at the mega evolved fire-fighting type, but he was having no luck. The Blaziken avoided each ball of fire with obvious ease and if that was not bad enough, he seemed to be getting faster with each passing second.

Frustration clear on Landon's face, he dove straight down towards the blaze Pokémon, his wings coated in flying type energy. Unbeknownst to the Charizard, Collin smirked at the action. He waited until the last second before sidestepping and smashing thunder punch into the Charizard's face.

Caught off guard, Landon was sent reeling off course and crashed into the ground, digging up a small trench as he did so. Just as he was getting up, Collin had appeared in front of him and snapped his head back with a swift sky uppercut.

"Pay attention!" DJ suddenly shouted, snapping Spire back to his own fight. Before he could react he was hit with another power-up punch that had enough force to send him back to the ground.

Cursing himself for his own inattentiveness, he lashed out with a dragon tail, catching DJ off guard and tossing him back a ways. He then flew towards his brother as quick as he could.

As if sensing the encroaching dragon, Collin leapt straight into the air and avoided the Charizard. Stopping immediately, Spire turned his attention to the sky and flew after the Blaziken. Just as Spire was about to reach him, a large aura sphere, almost half his size, exploded against his side, sending him careening. As he tried to straighten himself, Collin descended upon him and sent him to the ground with a swift, but powerful, double kick.

Seeing his brother crash to the ground, Landon glared angrily at the Blaziken and flew at him with wing attack. However, like his brother, before he could get to the fire-fighting type, he was met with resistance. Seemingly out of nowhere, DJ appeared before him and before Landon knew what was happening, he was sent to the plummeting back to the ground by a power-up punch.

With both Charizard on the ground, the two dual fighting type's landed gracefully. The crowds roared in approval as the previously determined underdogs were gaining the upper hand once again. Treble himself seemed to be at a loss for words at this stunning turn of events. Neither Collin or DJ paid attention to any of this however. Their gazes were firmly on the two mega Pokémon who were just starting to get to their feet.

Both Charizard were covered in multiple bruises and scratches and both looked pissed. They glared hatefully at the two representatives from Gallade's Guild, neither being able to comprehend how things had changed for them. They noted that both DJ and Collin looked just as injured as them and both were panting from exertion. They were all on their last legs.

"Enough of this!" Spire roared, practically foaming at the mouth from frustration and anger. He took to the skies, his brother following closely behind. When he was just above the first few rows of the stadium he stopped and glared down at their enemies. "THIS ENDS NOW!"

The flame on his tail exploded with new life as blue flames began to swirl around his mouth. At the same time, Landon began to gather energy from the increased sunlight, forming a greenish-yellow orb in front of him.

Seeing this, DJ cupped his hands to his side and began to draw upon his own aura. The wild flames of aura began to come together and expand into a large burning sphere that grew until it was his size. Collin too began to draw his own power. His mouth/beak was wide open as red hot flames began to coalesce in his throat.

"RAH!" With a roar, Spire released a fire blast, almost twice the size as his previous one, with his remaining energy at the duo. Landon soon fired his own attack as well closely behind, causing the two attacks to fuse together.

"RWAR!" DJ met Spire's roar with one of his own and released the wildly swirling ball of aura at the incoming attack at the same time Collin unleashed a powerful flamethrower. Like the Charizard's attacks, Collin's flames mixed in with the large aura sphere making a large sphere of what appeared to be blue fire.

The two attacks raced towards each other and met in the middle, creating a large shockwave that tore through the stadium. Even behind the barrier, the audience could feel the intensity behind both attacks and shivered at the power they were emitting. Treble was forced to take cover lest he get caught up in the hurricane generated by the two attacks.

The two attacks pushed against the other, neither one seeming to be able to overcome the other. Electricity lashed out, tearing against the stadium floor and the barrier. Then, the blue sun began to slowly push back against the fire blast/solar beam combination. Spire and Landon, with their energy all used up, could only watch in horror as the flaming aura sphere began to tear through their attack, absorbing some of the energy as it did so and swelling in size.

After several seconds, DJ and Collin's attack completely cut through the Charizard's attack and hurled straight towards the two fliers. Unable to dodge, the now hill sized attack engulfed the duo and exploded with a blinding flash of light and a shockwave strong enough to crack the psychic barrier.

Several audience members screamed in shock as several cracks began to appear in front of them. A couple psychic types fell unconscious from the amount of power they forced into the barrier to keep it from collapsing.

The shockwaves steadily began to peter out along with the the blinding light. Almost tentatively, the audience glanced back towards the center of the stadium and saw a large cloud of smoke in the sky. All at once, two objects fell from the smoke and crashed into the ground, kicking up dirt and debris upon impact.

They all sat on the edge of their seats, craning their necks to see what had fallen. As the dust settled, it could be seen that there, laying splayed across the ground, unmoving, were Spire and Landon. Both out of their mega forms and unconscious.

A second passed as the audience processed what they were seeing before an earsplitting applause roared through the crowds and shook the coliseum.

"AND THAT'S IT, FOLKS!" a frayed, ruffled, and overall disheveled Treble exclaimed over the roar of the crowd. "BOTH DJ AND COLLIN HAVE PULLED OFF AN AMAZING COMEBACK TO WIN THE BATTLE FOR GALLADE'S GUILD!"

If possible, the cheers grew even louder.

-Legend-

"No...way," John mumbled, mouth agape. "They actually won?"

"Oh ye of so little faith," Katara said smugly though inwardly she was sighing in relief.

"Geez, that Lucario of ours never ceases to impress," Jet said appreciatively.

"W-Well if it wasn't for Collin, he wouldn't have won," John said. "That's a win for Team Sunburst."

"Weren't you the one saying that they couldn't win?" Blitz deadpanned causing the Charmeleon to splutter indigently much to everyone's amusement.

-Legend-

"It appears your trust was well placed," Veil said stoically to Asura. "Were you aware of their ability to mega evolve."

"I had my suspicions about DJ, but I was not aware Collin possessed the ability as well," Asura admitted.

"Even so, they showed some true grit," Sobek commented reluctantly.

"It still would have gone quicker if I had been allowed to fight," Kimberly grumbled sourly.

Asura sighed and shook his head. From the corner of his eye he noticed the other members from Charizard's Guild edging away from Guise, who was clenching the railing around their box with enough force to dent the metal.

"That can't be good," he muttered to himself.

-Legend-

"And that is why you always wait for the ending before you make assumptions," Tobias laughed merrily.

"Man, Tobias, those two are really something," Plate said, still in awe over the destroyed arena.

"Your guild is certainly full of powerful members," Echo said, sounding slightly envious.

"My dear, every Pokémon has the potential to be great. All it takes is the will to become strong," Tobias said, glancing at Aodhan. "Those boys of yours are a perfect example of that, Aodhan. They both are incredibly strong for their age. You should be proud."

"Hmph," the Charizard grunted noncommittally, doing his best to ignore the laughing Bour and the dancing Emrys.

-Legend-

"Phew," DJ sighed tiredly, collapsing back on his rear. In a flash of red light, he had reverted to his normal state. "That was close. I didn't think we could pull that off for a second."

"You and me both," Collin stated, reverting back as well.

A groan from the two Charizard pulled the duo's attention towards their defeated foes. Slowly, the two fire-flying types were beginning to stir and move around.

"We...lost?" Spire muttered in disbelief.

"It would appear that way," Landon said, hissing in pain.

DJ frowned before clambering to his feet. Collin sent the Lucario a confused look as he walked past him over to the Charizard. "DJ?"

The aura Pokémon did not respond and continued to walk over to the duo. Spire noticed his approach and growled angrily. "What? Come to gloat?"

DJ remained silent with an unreadable expression on his face. His silence seemed to anger the Charizard who looked ready to explode. Just as Spire opened his mouth to shout at the silent jackal, DJ thrust out a paw to him. Caught off guard, Spire gave DJ a confused and slightly wary look.

"What's this?" he questioned.

"Offering an olive branch," DJ commented dryly before looking sheepish. "Or rather a paw of friendship."

"Why?"

"Because, that was a fun battle." Spire appeared startled by that response.

"It was...fun?"

"Of course. I haven't been in such an intense battle since my fight with Luke a few months back. It really got my blood pumping and I want to have another one at some point."

Spire took one look at the eager expression on DJ's face before laughing out loud. DJ frowned at the laughing Charizard and huffed in annoyance, "What's so funny?"

"Haha. You fighting types are all the same," Spire laughed. "All you think about is fighting to the point where you can't walk." He wiped a mirthful tear from his eyes before pinning DJ with a penetrating look. "What make you think that I _want_ to fight you again?"

"Because we still have a score to settle." At Spire's confused look, DJ clarified, "You've beaten me once and now I've beaten you once. We still need a tie breaker."

Spire looked at him funny before chuckling, "Idiot." He grabbed DJ's paw and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Once back on his feet he gave the Lucario a challenging grin. "Don't think you'll beat me come next time. I underestimated you this time. That won't happen again."

"Whatever you say," DJ shot back, giving the larger Pokémon a matching grin.

The two rivals tightly gripped the others hand/paw before separating; Spire moving to help his brother and DJ walking back to Collin. By that point several medics rushed out onto the field to assist the four of them in healing. Soon all for of them were on stretchers -much to DJ's ire- and were being escorted out towards the stadium exit. As they passed the other competitors, DJ locked eyes with the other Lucario.

"Who's a disgrace to our species, now?" he questioned, a cheeky smirk on his face.

Red glared at DJ, but nodded in both acceptance and respect for the former human. DJ grinned at that and happily allowed himself to be carted off to the infirmary where he would most likely be a long night. He just hoped that it would be better than the infirmary at his guild. Not every infirmary could be that bad.

-Legend-

He was wrong. All infirmaries were evil.

Several hours found DJ sneaking through the shadowed halls of the coliseum. He had tried to stay the night, he really did, but he just could not do it. The former human was not sure what it was about infirmaries and hospitals that made him just want to escape, whether it was the idea of being forced to stay in one place or some other factor, DJ was not sure, but he just could not stay in infirmaries.

Spire, Landon, and even Collin were allowed to leave before nightfall, but he, having sustained a numerous amount of damage from super-effective attacks, was confined to a night in the infirmary. He had tried to argue that he was fine, but the Wigglytuff in charge of him was adamant. So here he was sneaking through the corridors with no set goal in mind.

Adrenaline still pumped through DJ, further prompting this midnight stroll. The battle had been hard fought and intense to the point where his heart would start to beat quickly at the mere thought. He could not wait for their rematch.

He was pulled by his thoughts by a distant scream reaching his ears. Acting on pure instinct, the Lucario dashed in the direction in which the scream came from. A few minutes into his run and DJ was panting, his still healing injuries making themselves known, but he just ignored it in favor of finding the source.

Down the winding corridors he went, following the steadily growing screams of pain until he came upon a single door at the end of a hallway. Recognizing it as one of the rooms where competitors were staying for the games, DJ approached cautiously. He slowly crept up to the door, placed an ear to the door, and listened.

"...don't you think that's enough, Guise?" DJ heard a voice said.

 _Malum,_ DJ thought, recognizing the voice. _That means this is the room for Charizard's Guild._

"I'll tell you when it's enough." DJ snapped out of his thoughts as a cold voice cut through the silence. He nearly jumped when a second round of screaming started. Curiosity getting the better of him, DJ activated his aura sight and gasped at what he saw.

Both Spire and Landon were sprawled across the floor writhing in apparent pain. Their limbs twitched as if electrocuted and pained screams tearing from their throats. Before them were their teammates, all of them possessing looks of sympathy and fear, save for one.

DJ felt an involuntary shiver run down his spine as he focused on the last member. The Gengar was smiling cruelly down at the withering Charizard at his feet. His aura was all wrong. It was permeated with darkness and vileness, reminding DJ of Luke when he had been exposed to the dark well.

 _How could someone let someone like that into their guild?_ DJ thought to himself in disgust before focusing on the darkness Pokémon.

"This is what happens when you lose," Guise said coldly. "This is what happens when you bring shame to _my_ guild!"

The ghost-poison type seemed to release a pulse of some kind of energy that DJ barely detected. It rushed towards the two Charizard and seemed to enter their bodies. Not a second later, both brothers were writhing in pain once more.

DJ gasped at the sight. _He's hurting his own teammates?!_ he thought incredulously. _What kind of sick creep is this guy?!_

Unfortunately, his gasp did not go unnoticed. The Gengar's attention snapped away from his two victims to the door. The ghost Pokémon's gaze seemed to reach past the door and find DJ's. For what seemed to be an eternity, Guise seemed to hold DJ's gaze with a slight frown. Then, as if understanding something, his usual smile crept over his face.

Seeing the Gengar grin snapped DJ out of whatever feeling it was keeping him trapped in place. He deactivated his aura sight and fled from the door, knowing full and well he was in no shape to fight against the Gengar and possibly the others.

 _I have to tell the others,_ he thought as he hurried down the hallways, determined to put as much space between him and that Gengar as he could.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Nightmare Tower

"WELCOME TO THE THRID DAY OF THE GRAND GUILD GAMES!" Treble cried, eliciting a roar from the crowd. Around him stood Razor, Blaze, Star, Asura, Martha, and Guise, each ready for the ensuing contest. "IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN, ALLOW ME TO REMIND YOU ALL OF THE SCORE. IN FIRST PLACE IS WIGGLYTUFF'S GUILD WITH TWELVE POINTS, SECOND IS GALLADE'S GUILD WITH TEN POINTS, IN THIRD IS GOLEM'S GUILD WITH NINE POINTS, IN FOURTH IS CHARIZARD'S GUILD WITH EIGHT, IN FIFTH IS AAGRON'S GUILD WITH THREE POINTS, AND IN LAST IS NOIVERN'S GUILD WITH TWO!"

As Treble droned on, Asura cast a sidelong glance at the ghost-poison type. He narrowed his eyes at the satisfied smirk that was displayed over his face. He remembered what DJ had seen when he was wandering last night and it made the Medicham wary of the darkness Pokémon.

 **Flashback:**

" _DJ, are you sure that's what you saw?" Asura asked seriously._

" _Yes, I'm sure," DJ said exasperatedly. "I saw that Gengar_ torturing _Spire and Landon!"_

" _But are you sure," Collin questioned. "Like, did you see it?"_

"Yes _!" DJ stressed. "I saw it through my aura sight! He was standing over them while they were crying out in pain. The others were watching in utter terror!"_

" _Is your aura sight reliable?" Veil asked._

 _The former human whirled around and glared murderously at the Sableye. "Yes, my aura sight is reliable. Why wouldn't it be?"_

" _If memory serves me correctly, Lucario struggle with aura control when they evolve, meaning they have trouble discerning emotions_ _as well as seeing with aura," Veil said tonelessly. "From what the reports say, you only evolved little over a month ago. So I ask again, are you certain that your aura sight is reliable."_

 _Zero growled and took a step towards the ghost-dark type, but was stopped by Asura._

" _That is enough!" he said, casting stern glares at DJ and Veil. "Veil, if DJ says that he saw this, then I am inclined to believe him. I've worked with him for the better part of two years and I trust his judgment. DJ, stop taking everything so personally."_

 _DJ bowed his head, cowed to silence, while Veil stared blankly. After an awkward silence, Kimberly cleared her throat. "So what do we do now?"_

" _What can we do?" Sobek grumbled. "Barge into their room and stop the Gengar?"_

" _That wouldn't be wise," Asura shook his head. "Judging by how terrified the others were, it would be more than likely that they would deny what transpired."_

" _What exactly_ did _happen?" Collin asked. "I know that you said they were being tortured, but how?"_

" _I'm not completely sure myself," DJ admitted, crossing his arms with a frown. "From what I could tell, both Spire and Landon seemed to be asleep, but they were screaming in pain."_

" _Sleeping?" Kimberly questioned. "They were sleeping?"_

" _It seemed like it," DJ said. "Their aura was flowing sedately until Guise released some kind of pulse and they started screaming."_

" _What could cause that?" Sobek questioned._

" _It sounds like he was using nightmare or something like that," Asura murmured, more to himself than his others, "but to use that on his own teammates..."_

" _It's disturbing," Collin finished, scowling at the floor. "So what do you do about it?"_

" _We expose him," DJ said immediately._

" _Good plan, but how?" Sobek said condescendingly. "Do you plan on going up to him and_ asking _him to tell everyone what he's doing?"_

" _Of course not," DJ said defensively. "That would be idiotic."_

" _Then what?" Sobek demanded._

" _I don't know. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears," DJ said testily._

" _I might have a solution," Asura interrupted before the two of them could argue anymore. "DJ, you said that he was doing it as a punishment because they lost, correct."_

" _Yeah, but it's a little extreme for a punishment," DJ grumbled._

" _Agreed, but that's not what I was asking for." DJ gave the Medicham a confused look._

" _Then why were you asking?" Asura smirked deviously._

" _Well it's clear that he is very...passionate about winning and bringing honor to his guild, right?" He earned nods of assent and confused looks. "Then, what do you think his reaction would be if_ he _lost?"_

 **Flashback End:**

Asura clenched his fists tightly, glaring at the Gengar. It sickened him to know how he treated his team. Even before DJ joined and his subsequent change in attitude, he was never abusive towards his team. Cold and condescending, yes, but he never raised a hand against his team outside of battles. It sickened him.

He glanced up at the guildmasters' box and narrowed his eyes at the Charizard who was sitting smugly beside his father. _Does he even know what is Guise is doing to his members? To his sons?_ He fingered the thick bracelet that sat snugly on his wrist, the light blue crystal and pink and cream symbol in the center glinting in the light. _No matter. Even if he does know, that does not change my course of action._

He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt eyes on him. He glanced to the side and saw that the Gengar was staring right at him. Everything around them faded as the two stared at the other. After what felt like a minute, the Gengar smirked in an almost knowing manner, causing Asura to narrow his eyes. The silent battle ended when Treble started shouting again.

"...AND TODAY'S EVENT IS TOWER CLIMB!"Treble shouted.

As the words left the Chatot's beak, the ground behind the six combatants began to shake. Turning around they were greeted by a the sight of a bright light, akin to a Pokémon's evolution, erupting from the ground. Everyone, audience included, shielded their eyes as the light grew in size and intensity. It was only when the light faded that they could open their eyes.

Now, taking up the majority of the stadium, was a very, _very_ tall tower that stretched to the upper lip of the coliseum. The tower itself was made up of dark gray almost black stone. There were several cracks and uneven points, suggesting that the tower was very old. Towards the top were what looked like dark wings stretched out in preparation for flight and at the very top they could just barely make out a large golden bell.

"THIS IS THE TOWER OF NIGHT!" Treble exclaimed, regaining everyone's attention. "OUR CONTESTANTS WILL BE CLIMBING THIS TOWER IN HOPES OF REACHING THE BELL AT THE TOP! BUT THINGS ARE NOT AS EASY AS YOU THINK!"

He flew up into the air until he was just in front of the menacing tower. "UNLIKE A NORMAL TOWER, THERE IS NOT CLEAT PATH TO THE TOP. THERE ARE STAIRS, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM WILL LEAD TO THE TOP. THINK OF IT AS A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAZE," he added with a sly smirk. "THE TOWER IS ALSO MADE UP OF DEAD STONE, THE ONLY MATERIAL KNOWN TO POKÉMON THAT GHOST TYPES CANNOT PHASE THROUGH." At this the Chatot shot a meaningful glance towards Guise before continuing. "THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE THIS TOWER SPECIAL, BUT I'LL ALLOW OUR CONTESTANTS TO FIGURE THOSE OUT FOR THEMSELVES."

"Great, I always love surprises," Blaze snarked dryly, earning snorts from some of the other contestants.

"Should be fun," Star said, smiling in a vicious manner.

"Oooh, why did I agree to this," Martha groaned nervously.

"Whatever, I just want to get this over with already," Razor drawled tiredly.

Neither Asura or Guise responded, having entered another staring match.

"ANYWAY, AS I SAID, YOUR GOAL IS TO REACH TO TOP OF THE TOWER AND RING THE BELL," Treble said to the six combatants. "YOU ARE ALLOWED TO ATTACK YOUR FELLOW COMBATANTS TO SLOW THEIR PROGRESS OR KNOCK THEM UNCONSCIOUS, BUT YOUR MAIN GOAL IS TO REACH THE TOP! AFTER THE FIRST CONTESTANT REACHES THE BELL, THE OTHERS WILL EARN POINTS DEPENDING ON THEIR PLACING IN THE TOWER. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

The group collectively nodded their heads and walked up to the tower, each standing in front of a doorway that led to a different section of the tower.

"IF YOU ARE ALL READY...LET THE GRAND GUILD GAMES' THIRD EVENT BEGIN!" Treble shouted, causing the audience to roar in excitement and the combatants to run into the tower.

-Legend-

"Do you think Asura will be fine?" Collin asked. "He will be going up against a Pokémon who has a type advantage."

"Well, like we showed yesterday, type advantages aren't everything," DJ commented.

"That and, as a part psychic type, Asura too has an advantage against Guise's poison half," Veil commented.

"Even so, it will be a tough battle, considering how the others are terrified of him," Kimberly pointed out, nodding to the box where the rest of Charizard's guild participants. They could see that all of them had anxious looks on their faces and both Charizard siblings had noticeable bags under their eyes.

"He'll be fine," Sobek grunted. "There's no way he'd let someone like that beat him."

Kimberly looked at the Krookodile with wide eyes. "Did you just complement someone? Arceus! It's the end of the world!"

"Oh shut up," Sobek snapped.

-Legend-

The moment Asura stepped into the tower and looked around he gasped audibly. The description that Treble gave them did not even come close to giving the tower credit. There were stairs. A lot of stairs. Stairs that went up, sideways, down, even some that were upside down. Arches and platforms appeared to have been thrown haphazardly in the interior of the tower, making it look like a broken jigsaw puzzle. All in all, it looked like some twisted fever dream.

Brushing is misgivings aside, Asura ran towards the nearest staircase and began to ascend. Then descend. Then ascend again. Then move sideways. Then, somehow, he found himself standing upside down as he was 'climbing' the stairs he was currently on.

In a span of ten minutes, Asura was confused and frustrated. "This is getting ridiculous. Mystery dungeons are cake walks compared to this!"

He finally decided on another set of stairs that he had not taken before and followed it. The stairs wound around in a downward spiral before it led off through a wall into another section of the tower. The moment he did, he was forced to avoid a bright purple beam of energy. Landing in a crouch, Asura prepared himself for a battle, but saw that the attack had not been meant for him. Fighting on one of the inverted platforms was Razor and Star.

"Hold still so I can cut you!" the Garchomp roared as she slashed at the Zangoose with a dragon claw.

"Why couldn't this be a simple race to the top," Razor sighed, parrying the attack with a crush claw. "I chose to be in this event so that I didn't have to fight."

"Well you chose wrong!" Star roared as she pushed the Zangoose back and lunging forward.

The Zangoose groaned in annoyance and ducked under the swipe and attempted to retaliate with a poison jab, but the ground-dragon type was able to avoid it. She growled and crossed her claws across her chest and took on a blue glow. Translucent swords appeared around her head and began to clash with the others in a dance like movement. Razor saw this and rolled his eyes before mimicking the Garchomp's movements. His own translucent blades appeared and began to clash at a more lethargic pace. In a matter of seconds, the blades vanished and they both dashed towards each other.

Asura observed the quarreling duo for a few seconds longer before shaking his head. He did not have time to dillydally if he wanted to reach to bell first. If those two wanted to waste their time fighting, who was he to stop them?

He stealthily made his way past the duo, not that they would notice him regardless, and chose another set of stairs and delved deeper into the tower.

Diving back into the maze, Asura ran through what felt like miles and miles of stairs that went in every direction. He did not run into any more Pokémon for _hours_ until he reached a solitary platform that seemed to be placed in the center of the tower. He was walking cautiously across the dark stone, having decided to take a short break, when a blob of pink fell from the sky.

"AH!" the pink shape screamed before slamming into the ground, bouncing slightly before laying still.

Startled, Asura immediately leapt back, arms up and body tensed for a fight. Observing the Pokémon, who Asura recognized as Martha the Chansey, he slowly stalked forward towards her. He jumped back again when she stirred.

"Ow," she groaned, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Damn inverted gravity."

She rubbed her head attempting to alleviate some of the pain before she took note that she was not alone on the platform. She looked over at the Medicham, eyes wide in surprise, before she yelled in fear. "GAAH!"

Asura jumped in shock, not sure of why she was screaming like that. "Wh-What?!"

The Chansey clutched her heart and seemed to be struggling to calm herself. "S-Sorry," she said. "You startled me is all."

"Oh, sorry," Asura said awkwardly, still not sure what was going on.

Martha pulled herself to her feet, stumbling slightly. She glanced at the Medicham and shuffled anxiously. "Soooo, this gravity thing sure is weird, huh?"

"Yeah..." Asura said, still not relaxing his fighting position. Martha noticed this and sighed.

"Could we, maybe, not fight?" she asked nervously. "I'm not really the best fighter and I really don't want to fight right now."

"Okay?" Asura said uncertainly, though he did lower his guard slightly.

"Thank you," she said, smiling brightly at him. "I guess I'd be remiss if I asked if you knew how to get to the bell?"

"Sorry, no idea how to get there," Asura admitted, deciding that the Chansey did not have any malicious intentions, but still unwilling to fully relax. "This place is huge."

"I know, it's worse than any mystery dungeon," Martha said agreed happily. She then started talking animatedly about the difficulty of the maze and how confusing it was.

Asura smiled slightly at the Chansey's excitable personality. He knew that Chansey were typically healers by nature so it had surprised him that one had decided to join the Games. As he listened to the normal type chatter, he could not see her being one to fight. He guessed that she was there as a support to her other teammates. He shook his head as he realized that he could not stay there for too long. He opened his mouth to tell her this when he saw something racing towards them from the corner of his eye.

"Look out!" Asura shouted as he dove to the side, Martha mimicking his actions. They moved just in time as a large shadow ball smashed into the ground between them and exploded.

Shielding his face to deflect the dust and debris that rushed passed him. He quickly looked over the platform and locked onto Martha's form. "Martha, are you alright?"

The Chansey groaned and pushed herself to her feet with a groan. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just-"

Whatever she was about to say never left her lips as a strange blue light rippled through the air and engulfed her form. Martha's eyes widened in shock as the light surrounded her before her eyes glazed over and started to droop. In a matter of seconds, her eyes closed and she slumped forward.

Seeing the Chansey suddenly keel over, Asura rushed towards her in worry. He reached her side and started shaking her shoulder in an attempt to rouse her. "Martha? Martha!"

His response was a soft snore from the pink Pokémon. Realizing that she was only asleep, Asura sighed in relief before tensing. He stood up and gazed around the perplexing sea of stairs in search of whoever had attacked them.

"Who's there?" he shouted into the tower. "Show yourself!"

He received no response for a few seconds before a smooth yet hollow voice echoed through the tower. "Hehehe. What do we have here? A little fighting type all alone."

Asura noticed movement from on his left and jumped away just as another shadow ball impacted against the spot where he once stood. Landing slightly on his feet, Asura glared into the seemingly endless landscape.

"Show yourself, you coward!" he yelled.

"Hmm...if you insist," the voice said before, right above the Medicham, a familiar Gengar appeared.

"Guise," Asura growled out.

"Asura," Guise said, grinning wickedly. "I am _so_ glad I ran into you. I was worried that you would get beaten by another contestant. I knew I needn't worry, but I had to take precautions."

"What do you mean by that?" Asura questioned, stepping further away from Martha's prone form as to not get her caught in the ensuing battle.

"Well, as I said, I didn't want anyone else to have the satisfaction of beating you, so I...dealt with them," Guise said cryptically, gesturing over the side of the platform.

Still wary of the Gengar, he crept towards the edge of the platform and glanced over it. Over the side, laying splayed over the stairs were Star and Razor, both unconscious. Seeing this, Asura whirled around towards the still smirking ghost-poison type and glared.

"You put them to sleep too?" he demanded angrily.

"Of course, I didn't want anyone to interfere," Guise said, flicking his hand dismissively.

"But why?" Asura questioned. "Why do all this? You could get to the bell with ease, so why are you here facing me?"

"To prove a point," Guise said, his smile falling from his face. "Our guild has been seen as weak for far too long. We have been made fools of in these competitions, especially after Spire and Landon's humiliating defeat." His grin then returned full force as twin shadow balls formed in his hands. "But now I'm going to prove that we are strong!"

With that, he threw the shadow balls as Asura, forcing him to leap to the side. Skidding across the ground, Asura glared up at the Gengar.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he shouted. "You're team is in third place, how is that showing weakness?"

"Third might as well be last as long as there are those above us!" Guise snapped. "We are above all other guilds and I will demonstrate that!"

Guise shot towards the Medicham, flying at impressive speeds, his hands taking on ghostly energy that formed into twin three pointed claws. Asura, undeterred by the Gengar's speed, sidestepped the attack and punched the Gengar with a thunder punch.

Guise was sent tumbling through the air before righting himself and glaring at the psychic-fighting type. He glared angrily at the Medicham, who was currently rushing towards him, and floated back into the air. Eyes narrowing slightly, Asura jumped into the air, another thunder punch ready to slam into the phantom's face, only to be met with another shadow claw. The Gengar grinned at Asura before clawing at him with his off hand.

Asura, having no way to avoid the attack, brought up his arm to defend against the attack. He winced in pain as the ghost type energy bit into his arm with enough force to send him back to the ground. He flipped in the air and landed on his feet. Using the force from his fall he kicked off the ground at even faster speeds, catching the ghost-poison type off guard. Blue energy coalesced around his head just as he slammed into the ghost.

The zen headbutt smashed into Guises face, jarring him and sending waves of pain through his body, and sent him flying into a nearby arch. Guise bounced off the stonework and fell before catching himself mid fall. Glaring, he fired multiple shadow balls at the Medicham, forcing him to practically dance out of the way.

"Dance, fool, dance!" Guise goaded, firing more shadow balls.

Wincing as he dodged yet another shadow ball, not responding. He was forced backwards until his foot slipped off the edge. Eyes wide, he teetered slightly before regaining his balance on the platform. Seeing that the meditate Pokémon was trapped on the edge, Guise grin grew impossibly wide.

"This is the end," he jeered, forming a large shadow ball in between his hands. "Now say goodbye!"

He threw the large ball of ghostly energy at the Medicham, laughing maniacally. Eyes narrowing, Asura, having no other option, jumped straight at the ball. His knee took on a burning orange color as he brought it up to impact against the orb. Guise's eyes widened when Asura's knee slammed into the attack and, instead of causing the shadow ball to detonate, bounced it back at the floating Pokémon. Before he could react, the redirected shadow ball slammed into Guise and exploded.

Asura landed lightly on the ground just as the attack exploded. From the smoke that had ensued, Asura watched as the Gengar fell from the smoke and smacked into the ground. With a groan, Guise slowly got back to his feet, his glare intensifying and grin turned into a murderous frown.

Asura stood unaffected by the glare and stared at him impassively. "It's over, Guise. You can't beat me."

Guise growled in a feral manner before a crooked grin stretched widely over his face. "I wouldn't be too sure."

As he said, this, he once more began to float into the air until he was high enough to look over everything in the tower. His red eyes flashed red before a red aura engulfed his form. A red tendril of aura formed and raced back down towards the platform. Asura braced himself for whatever the attack was, but the tendril raced passed him. Turning, Asura saw the red tendril stretch towards Martha's prone form and engulfed her form. Her face shifted to one of discomfort then fear then pain before she started crying out. Whipping his head back to the Gengar he saw that some of the ghost-poison type's injuries were beginning to fade.

"Dream eater," Asura murmured.

"That's right," Guise said canceling the red aura. "That was refreshing."

"You monster," Asura growled. "She's not part of this fight, leave her alone!"

"And pass up on a free source of healing?" Guise questioned mockingly. "I think not. It's not against the rules, so you'll just have to deal with it."

With that, he fired another shadow ball which hit the ground right in front of Asura. The attack exploded and Asura was sent flying back, all the while Guise was laughing evilly.

-Legend-

"He's using dream eater on someone not part of the battle?!" Plate roared in disgust. He whirled around to face Aodhan with a glare on his face. "What the hell kind of things are you teaching you members?!"

"I taught them to do anything to win," Aodhan growled. "This isn't a regulation battle so it's not an illegal move."

"The audience would beg ta' differ," Bour commented, gesturing to the audience who all looked disgusted by what they were seeing. Even the usually exuberant Emrys was watching the screen with a cold expression on his face.

Aodhan scoffed in an uncaring manner, though a glimmer of distaste flashed across his features. "Whatever it takes to win."

"Do you truly believe that, Aodhan?" Tobias asked. "Do you really believe such actions warranted to win a simple competition.

The Charizard stayed silent.

-Legend-

Asura jumped back to avoid another shadow ball, unable to get close to the Gengar who had once again begun to unleash a barrage of shadow balls. Gengar laughed loudly as he watched the Medicham dodge his attacks.

"What's wrong, Asura? You were talking all big before. Where's that bravado?!" Guise jeered.

Asura grit his teeth and said nothing and continued to dodge. This only served to fuel the Gengar sadism. Taking a break from launching a relentless barrage of attacks, he used dream eater again and this time sending tendrils down to Razor and Star as well. The affected Pokémon all screamed in pain as their energy was siphoned to fuel the twisted Gengar.

"You can't beat me, little Medicham!" Guise laughed. "How can you expect to beat me when I heal faster than you can harm me?!"

"With help!"

Guise turned just in time for a blue meteor of flames shot down and slammed into him. Guise screeched in pain as the attack dragged him to the ground with enough force to create a crater in the blackened stone. The flames immediately dissipated as a tall figure leapt back, landing next to Asura. Looking at his savior, Asura saw that it was Blaze.

"Blaze?" Asura asked.

"In the flesh," the Infernape said, wincing as electricity seemed to run over his form before fading. "I heard all of the screaming so I made my way here."

He glared hatefully at the Gengar as he began to rise off the ground. "For a Pokémon to sink to such levels is disgraceful," he spat. "I will not allow it to continue!"

"Oh, really?" Guise asked, glaring furiously. "And what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to beat you into the ground," Blaze replied, sliding into a fighting stance.

"I've got your back," Asura said, getting into his own stance. "So how about it, Guise? You think you can beat both of us?"

The Gengar, for his part, gained an uncertain expression. It was clear that he had not accounted for Blaze's interference and, having not found the Infernape earlier, decided to ignore him all together, believing that he would make his way towards the bell. Guise glared at the Infernape and sighed.

"I guess there's no way around it," he said. "I'll have to use _that_."

Before either fighting types could question him, Guise opened his mouth and revealed a long tongue. However, the thing that really got their attention was the lavender stone with a dark purple and red swirl in the center of it resting on his tongue. Realizing what it was, Asura opened his mouth to shout a warning, but it came too late as a red light engulfed the Gengar.

The duo could only watch in shock as the Gengar's form shifted into a new form. His ears elongated and his spikes on his backs grew in number. His body sinks to the ground, his back legs coming together to form a single tail and his arms thickening and gaining spikes. The light finally ended revealing Guise's new form. With the light gone, they could see that his lower body had gained a reddish tint and a yellow eyes stood out on his forehead.

The new Guise, began to giggle darkly before it evolved into full blown laughter. Both Asura and Blaze watched in disturbed enrapture as the mega laughed loud enough to echo through the entire tower, sending chills down the two fighting type's spines. After a minute, the Gengar finally got control of his laughter and gave the duo a purely predatory smile.

"Now what will you do?" he asked, grinning wickedly. "How will you combat my new power?"

"Your form changes nothing," Blaze stated confidently. "We'll still beat you!"

Asura nodded in agreement and readied himself. The mega Gengar just grinned as if the Infernape had said something cute.

"Quite a bit of bark for such a small Growlithe," Guise said snobbishly. "If you're so confident, then come at me!"

Not needing to be told twice, Blaze I inhaled deeply and spat out a large gout of fire at the mega. As the flames drew closer, Guise merely scoffed and floated off the ground, avoiding the attack. As he did so, Asura too too to the air and leapt at the large ghost, his fist crackling with electricity. Just before he landed the electric type move, Guise, moving much faster than before, batted him aside with a shadow claw.

Grunting, Asura flipped in the air and landed on his feet only to be forced to jump again to avoid a shadow ball. Guise laughed uproariously as he pelt shadow balls at the psychic-fighting type and while none of the attacks were hitting, he took great pleasure in the fact that he was forcing Asura to move continuously. Guise only stopped when he noticed Blaze racing towards him with a flare blitz. He quickly shifted to the side, causing the attack to go wide and leave that Infernape open for an attack.

"I've got you now!" Guise said evilly as he prepared to use hypnosis only to be stopped when he felt a large amount of pain erupt from his side.

Asura, when the barrage of shadow balls had ended, had kicked off the ground and launched himself at Guise with a zen headbutt. Roaring in pain, Guise spun around and slashed at Asura with twin shadow claws, doing a fair bit of damage and sending the Medicham rocketing towards the ground. Guise moved to continue his attack, but was stopped when he became engulfed on a large stream of fire.

Crying out in pain, Guise flew out of the flamethrower and spun around to face Blaze. Roaring in anger, he formed a large shadow ball and hurled it towards the Infernape. Fist becoming cloaked in a bright white light, Blaze seemed to suddenly appear in front of the shadow ball and punched it. Just like with Asura using high-jump kick against a similar attack, Blaze managed to throw the attack back at Guise.

Eyes narrowing, Guise raised his hand and clawed through his own attack with minimal difficulty. As soon as he did, however, Asura was already in front of him. Having jumped after the shadow ball, Asura was able to land another zen headbutt before grabbing the Gengar's tail with an electrified hand. With a roar, Asura flung the mega to the ground where he crashed with a thud.

Guise groaned, more out of annoyance than pain, a pushed himself to a 'standing' position. Just as he had steadied himself, the ground underneath him cracked and shattered as Blaze erupted from it. Eyes widening, Guise gasped in pain as the Infernape slammed into his stomach and sent him barreling through the air.

The Gengar slammed into an inverted stair case and fell onto an arch way a little ways below him. With a pained groan, the Gengar pushed himself up yet again. Shaking his head, he glared at the duo before smirking triumphantly.

"Your efforts are pointless!" he shouted as his third eye glowed red and a familiar red aura engulfed him. Three tendril shout out and surrounded the the sleeping combatants, causing them to cry out in pain. Seeing this, Blaze became enraged.

"No you don't!" he shouted, before launching at the Gengar, ignoring Asura's shouts for him to wait.

Guise smirked at the encroaching Infernape and canceled his dream eater and suddenly vanished from sight. Blaze landed on the arch where the Gengar once stood, flames dispersing, and looked around in confusion. Before he could react, Guise appeared right behind him and clawed savagely at his back with a shadow claw.

"Blaze!" Asura shouted as he watched the Infernape fall to the ground from the surprise attack. He ran forward to try and help but was stopped by a shadow ball that impacted against his chest.

Satisfied that Asura was not about to interfere, Guise turned his sinister smile onto Blaze. The Infernape was currently struggling to get back to his feet. He looked up and was face to face with the twisted Gengar.

"I think it's time for you to go to sleep," Guise said, grinning maliciously as his three eyes glowed blue. "Pleasant dreams."

Before Blaze could move, a wave of blue light wafted out of the ghost-poison type's eyes and clung to Blaze's form. Almost immediately Blaze felt his eyes growing heavy as the effects began to take root. He tried to fight the effects of the hypnosis, but he soon succumbed to the world of darkness.

Laughing superiorly, Guise used dream eater on the now sleeping Infernape, relishing in the screams that came from the Infernape as his own health was replenished.

-Legend-

"Wave, you need to calm down," Tank said as he and Boomer were physically holding the currently raging Empoleon, keeping him from storming onto the field.

"That bastard," the emperor Pokémon growled furiously. "I'll kill him!"

"There's nothing we can do right now," Flora said, though her own rage and disgust was evident. "We all want to help, but we can't interfere with the event, so you might as well sit down."

"Hey-hey, this isn't the worst thing Blaze has gone through," Gasher pointed out. "He'll survive this."

"I know, but..." Wave trailed off, all the fight leaving him as he looked helplessly at the screen.

Several boxes down, DJ was observing the reactions of the other guilds. "Looks like all of the guilds are upset over Guise."

"Can you really blame them," Collin said grimly. "What's he's doing is disgusting."

"Now it's up to Asura to beat that monster," Kimberly said.

"He'll be fine," Sobek grunted, though a slight glimmer of unease filled his voice.

DJ glanced at the members of Charizard's guild and took note of their fear and self loathing over being associated with such a Pokémon. He turned back to the screens and glared up at the laughing Gengar. "Let's hope Asura finishes soon if only to stop the torture of the others."

-Legend-

Satisfied by the energy he had consumed, Guise cut off his dream eater, allowing the Infernape's prone form to go lax. Grinning, he turned back to the platform and saw Asura standing albeit shakily.

"I must admit, you are rather stubborn," Guise commented, floating high into the air until he was several yards above the Medicham. Looking down, the ghost grinned evilly. "I would have thought that you would have curled up an accepted defeat."

"Not in your life!" Asura snapped with a glare. "I could never in good conscious surrender to a disgusting Pokémon like you!"

"Really? I am I that disturbing to look at?" Guise questioned, making a big deal to observe his own body. "I admit I'm no Lopunny, but I don't think I'm hideous."

"You could look like Arceus himself and that wouldn't change anything," Asura snarled. "It takes someone with a sick and twisted heart to do what your doing, especially to your teammates."

Guise's eyes flashed with something unreadable. "So that was your little Lucario friend I sensed last night. Should've have known he'd blab."

"So you don't deny it?" Asura demanded.

"Hmph. Our guild is supposed to be the strongest in the entire continent, as such, weakness will not be tolerated," Guise said dismissively.

"So you torture you team when they lose?!"

Guise's eyes narrowed at the Medicham. "For sullying the name of our guild, a punishment is required. I find dream eater as a suitable punishment."

-Legend-

"He does that to his own teammates?!" Echo roared in disgust, whirling around to stare at the Charizard. "And you allowed this?!"

"N-No. I-I'd never..." Aodhan stuttered, completely gobsmacked.

"Oh please. Like ye' didn' know," Bour growled disbelievingly. "Threatenin' his members would be the perfect incentive ta' keep 'em from losin'. He obviously cares more about winnin' than he does his guild members."

At this, Aodhan roared in outrage. He leapt out of his seat and stalked over to the Golem, shoving his face into the rock type's.

"How dare you," he growled murderously. "How dare you even _think_ that I would allow such tactics to be used against my guild. Against my sons!"

Bour, for his part stood his ground. He glared right back at the furious Charizard and snarled, "Then why permit it against the others?"

Aodhan opened his mouth to refute the Golem's claims, but the words died in his mouth. All the rage left him and his body visibly slumped.

"I didn't...I don't..." Blue eyes looked lost as thoughts waged war in the Charizard's head. He backed away from the Golem stumbled back to his seat. A hand touched his shoulder, jarring the Charizard from his thoughts. He looked up and saw that it was Tobias.

"Did I cause this?" the Charizard asked. For once, all arrogance and superiority was gone from his voice. Instead was the voice of someone whose entire world had been pulled up from under them. "I've always pushed strength in my guild, but I never wanted any of this. What...what do I do?"

"You make things right," Tobias replied simply.

Aodhan nodded his head, still looking lost.

-Legend-

Unaware of the occurrences going on outside the tower, Asura and Guise continued to stare the other down. One with barely controlled anger and the other with sadistic glee.

"You truly are sick," Asura growled disdainfully. "Do you really believe what you're saying?!"

"Of course," Guise responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "In this world, the strong stand upon the weak, just as I stand over you."

"You stand over nothing!" Asura spat. "You're not strong, your weak. Why else would you be absorbing energy from others instead of fighting me one-on-one."

"Ramblings of one destined to lose," Guise said offhandedly.

"We'll see whose losing after this!" Asura shouted, raising his arm and showing the bracelet that sat upon it. "Allow me to show you my power!"

The light of mega evolution soon erupted from the round stone, bathing Asura in a red light. His form stretched and shifted as his body evolved further than before. When the light faded, Asura stood a proudly.

His headpiece had shifted into a white turban with five extensions, three coming from a yellow stone in the center of the turban and the other two on either side of Asura's head. Twin golden bands adorned his wrists along with several others that wrapped around his waist. Blue teardrop shaped gems hung on the bands around his waist like jewelry.

Guise, slightly surprised by the sudden transformation, reigned in his emotions and smirked at the newly mega evolved Medicham. "Ha! Do you honestly think a simple mega evolution will stop me?!"

"Yes," Asura said, his voice a steely calm.

Guise blanched at the toneless voice, but attempted to hide it with another sneer. "Really?" He summoned another shadow ball and fired it at Asura, as he shouted, "Then prove it!"

Asura stared up at the attack impassively. He then closed his eyes and bowed his head. Guise, thinking that the Medicham was giving up, began to laugh only to choke as a ghostly arm suddenly appeared behind the Medicham and batted the shadow ball away.

"You will not be able to beat me with attacks like that," Asura said calmly, still not opening his eyes. As he said this, three more arms appeared behind him, moving like snakes a snake mesmerizing its prey. "You are not strong enough."

This seemed to enrage the Gengar as his red -and one yellow- eyes glowed with rage. "I'll show you strong!" At this, Guise preceded to fire shadow ball after shadow ball at the stoic Medicham.

Asura, in response, only sighed and sat down cross-legged. As the attacks drew closer, his ghostly arms leapt into action. All four of them lashed at the encroaching attacks, knocking them aside and occasionally into other attacks, but none touched the mega Medicham.

Too consumed by his own rage, Guise relentlessly launched attacks at the mega, growing more and more infuriated with each attack that was deflected. He was too enraged to noticed the blue aura that had began to drift from the Medicham or the fact that said Pokémon was levitated several inches from the ground.

Finally having enough, Guise ceased his attack and dove down towards the Medicham. He brought both his arms back in preparation for two shadow claw attack, screeching wildly as he did so. Just as he was about to hit the Medicham, his eyes suddenly snapped open and he disappeared from Guise's field of vision.

Caught off guard, Guise slammed into the ground, skidding slightly. He recovered quickly however and began to looked around wildly in search of his target only to receive and electrified fist to his face. Asura, having appeared seemingly out of nowhere directly under the larger Pokémon, smashed his lightening covered fist into the ghost type's face with enough force to send the mega high into the air.

Guise, recovering from the surprisingly strong attack, managed to stop himself just before he hit the top of the tower. Opening his, already red but now bloodshot, eyes he saw Asura leaping from stairs to the various other parts of the tower, closing the distance between the two at an alarming rate.

Panicking, Guise desperately fired shadow balls to impede the Medicham, but, like before, the ghostly arms deflected them all before they could reach. Taking a final leap, Asura kicked off a stone platform, directly towards the mega. A bright blue light shone from the yellow gem in Asura turban and spread across his forehead and before Guise could move, Asura hit him with a powered up zen headbutt.

Guise screeched in pain as the super-effective move hit him and slammed him into the ceiling. However, it was not over with just that. The force that Asura had kicked off the ground with coupled with the power behind the zen headbutt carried enough force to not only crush the Gengar against the ceiling, but also to cause spiderweb cracks to spread out against the stone behind him. The cracks began to grow and grow until the ceiling gave way and Asura rocketed through it, dragging Guise along.

-Legend-

The crowd in the stadium watched in shock as the stone on top of the tower cracked and shattered, giving way for the two megas that tore through it. Guise flew away from the Medicham, his chest smoking, mouth agape, and eyes rolled to the back of his head. He flew over the side of the tower and plummeted down to the stadium floor. He slammed into the ground with a small **boom** , his mega evolution fading as the dust settled.

Asura managed to grab onto the edge of the tower and pull himself up, falling on his back and panting with exertion. One of the ghostly hands reached out and hit the bell with enough force to create a dull ring.

For a second, there was dead silence in the audience, before they exploded in thunderous applause.

"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT!" Treble roared. "AFTER AN AMAZING UPSET, ASURA HAS ONE THE CHALLENGE FOR GALLADE'S GUILD!"

As he shouted, and the applause rose to deafening heights, the entire tower glowed brightly and began to sink into the ground. When the light faded, the tower was gone and the contestants were all laying on the ground, each in various states of consciousness. The field nurses immediately rushed onto the field and began treating them, though it appeared they were reluctant to assist the Gengar.

Up in the stands, the members from Gallade's guild were all cheering loudly for their friend's victory, including his fellow teammates for the games. To everyone's surprise, the members form Charizard's Guild were also cheering.

With the guildmasters, Almost all of them were congratulating Tobias and complementing his son's capabilities.

"That would be his mother's work," he said, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "She always a fierce fighter and that clearly passed on to Asura."

"Sounds like my kinda' women," Bour laughed loudly, earning a smack from Echo.

"Kindly keep such comments to yourself, rock head," she growled.

"Aww, don't fight, friendly friends~!" Emrys exclaimed, once again bouncing happily in his chair.

Plate chuckled at the trio and elbowed the Gallade. "You've really got some impressive members in you guild. I don't suppose you've got a supplier?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that," Tobias chuckled at the Aggron's joke. He then glanced to the side and saw Aodhan glaring at the field, or rather a certain Gengar.

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY, DON'T YOU ALL AGREE?!" Treble yelled, earning more cheers from the audience. "WITH THAT EVENT OVER AND DONE WITH, LET'S GET TO THE-"

 **BOOM!**

A loud explosion tore through the air, cutting off whatever Treble was about to say. Said Chatot squawked in surprise, nearly falling out of the sky. Confused, the audience all looked around, confused of what could have caused the explosion.

"Over there!" Katara shouted, pointing to the distance where a large plume of smoke was curling into the air.

"TH-THAT'S COMING FROM THE CITY!" Treble exclaimed.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Devil Dogs

The Gilded City was in ruins. Multiple buildings appeared to have suffered extensive damage from an unknown source. Stone walls were blown inward, yet a good amount of debris made it out into the street, making large holes into the various buildings, windows were shattered into dust, roofs were lacking shingles and many were on fire. The various stalls that had once lined the streets of the city were all burning heaps of rubble and splinters, their contents strewn, broken, and destroyed on the streets.

Numerous pillars of smoke stretched up into the air and covered the sky in darkness. In the distance, the many burning fires offered a dim and foreboding light in the smoky darkness. The embers of burning wood and various other material fluttered in the wind like small Volbeat in the night sky, however, instead of beautiful, the embers only added to the desperation and destruction that the city was going through.

This was the scene that DJ, Collin, Sobek, Veil, and Kimberly were met with as, the moment the explosions started, they had rushed out of the coliseum to the city.

"What the hell's happening?!" Sobek shouted, taking in the destruction.

"It looks like a tornado went through this place," Collin said.

"A fire tornado," DJ said, eyeing one of the burning buildings warily.

"I got it," Kimberly said, stepping forward. She seemed to concentrate for a second before a wall of brown water erupted from around her and washed over the buildings in a two block radius before the water petered out.

"Great, now we've got the rest of the city to put out," Collin commented dryly.

Kimberly blushed lightly, but did her best not to show it. "W-Well at least I'm doing something!"

"Guys. Stop," DJ cut in, stopping Collin and Kimberly from arguing. "We need to figure out what's going o-"

 **BOOM!**

Another explosion shook the ground and another large billowing tower of smoke burst forth from further in the city followed by many scared and pain filled screams. Once the aftershock wore down, and the group regained their footing, the all stared at the area the explosion emanated from. Without a word, the set off towards that direction.

-Legend-

The group of five raced through the burning city, towards the screams and explosions. As they ran, the could see even more destruction caused to the city. They also encountered several citizens who had not been attending the games, strewn across the broken streets, unmoving. Upon closer inspection, they group found that they were all alive, just unconscious, much to their relief.

As they tread further into the city, they encountered more and more destruction to the city itself and more unconscious Pokémon laying prone across the ground. They wanted to stop and help, but they reasoned that finding the source of the destruction and stopping it from causing more harm. They also noticed, as the drew closer to the center, the sounds of howls and barking too drew louder with each step.

The group had just rounded another corner when they were greeted by an unfamiliar Pokémon advancing on a small Marill. The Pokémon was canine-like in appearance. It stood on all fours, just below four feet. Its body was primarily black with a red 'leash' around its neck, a red gem-like hexagon in the center. Its muzzle and its left front most paw up to its elbow were both red along with two hexagon markings on its shapes. Its eyes were pure white and in a hexagon shape with two smaller, red, hexagons serving as eyebrows. On the back of all its legs, its knees, and on each hip were hexagonal protrusions.

The Pokémon's blocky ear twitched as the group entered the alleyway. Its blank eyes seemed to narrow at the group and, while they could not see it, they could feel an intense unfounded hatred directed towards them. It turned away from its previous quarry, allowing the small water-fairy type to flee, and growled at the group.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Sobek asked, his brows furrowing at the unusual creature.

"No idea," Collin said. "But it looks like it wants a fight."

As he said that, the creature howled. It leapt forward towards them, causing the group to instinctively dodge out of the way. The dog-like creature landed in the center of them, eyeing them with its blank eyes. The group too eyed the creature warily, not knowing what to expect from it.

After a few seconds of the assembled Pokémon eyeing each other, the canine made the first move. Its gaze seemed to focus on DJ. With a growl it leapt towards, landing a few feet away from the Lucario. As its paws slammed into the stone, a shockwave was generated and sent towards DJ.

Eyes widening, DJ leapt into the air, avoiding the shockwave which crashed into the wall of the buildings behind him, causing a small explosion that shattered the already crumbling stone. Still in the air, DJ's eyes widened as the creature opened its mouth as a purplish-blue energy began to coalesce. Just as it was about to unleash the energy at the airborne fighting-steel type when Collin slammed into it, slamming a sky uppercut into the creature's jaw and sending the beam of energy veering off course into the blackened sky.

The creature made a yelped in surprise and pain as it stumbled back, its head snapping to the side. It then turned and glared at Collin. It formed another ball of energy before blasting it towards Collin, who barely managed to duck out of the way.

At that time, both Kimberly and Sobek charged it from behind with ice punch and slash respectively. The creature seemed to seek the duo's approach leapt to the side to avoid the first strikes, but the duo did not let up. Kimberly spun around and backhanded the dog with a second ice punch, this one making contact. As the strange creature howled in pain as ice began to creep over its body, Sobek lunged forward and bit into the creature with a crunch attack. Sobek then lifted the creature into the air, his teeth still gripping the creature, and began to shake it wildly into the air.

The creature howled in pain, struggling futilely in the Krookodile's jaws. Noticing something in the corner of his eye, Sobek flung the Pokémon harshly towards the side. Helpless in the air, the creature was flung straight towards a waiting DJ. Cocking his fist back, he smashed a power-up punch into the creature's face, sending it crashing into the ground.

Releasing another yelp, the Pokémon skid across the ground, but got up quickly. It looked injured, but it had plenty of energy to burn. It growled dangerously at the group, sinking to the ground in an aggressive stance. The group was was about to surge forward when the creature howled, louder than before. All at once a bright red energy emanated from the canine and sunk into the ground. The ground cracked and was torn from its place as the red energy exploded outward in a large wave of red energy and debris. Caught unaware, DJ, Collin, Kimberly, and Sobek were all blasted by the energy and thrown down the alley, slamming harshly into the ground.

With a series of collective groans, the quartet began to push themselves to their feet, both DJ and Collin appearing to have been damaged more from the attack than the other two.

"Well that hurt," DJ winced, rubbing his arm that had taken the brunt of the damage.

"Must have been some kind of ground attack," Collin said, wincing along with the Lucario. "But I've never seen one like that."

"Quit your bellyaching and pull yourselves together!" Sobek snapped, glaring at the creature as it stepped out of the dust cloud that it had generated from the attack it just used. "We still need to take this freak down!"

The Krookodile took a step forward, intent on savagely attacking the strange and incredibly powerful creature when a sudden growl came from behind them. They all turned and saw yet another creature, identical to the one before them, step into the alley, its white eyes glaring at the quartet.

"Another one?" Kimberly gasped. "The hell?!"

"It's just two of them," Sobek scoffed, seemingly unperturbed. "We can still take them."

No sooner had these words left his mouth, more growls began to echo through the alley. Three more dog-like creatures stepped into view, one coming to a stop next to the original and the other two appearing on the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Each of the canines growled ferally at the group, their eyes flashing with hatred.

"You had to say something, didn't you," DJ said, his voice, while dry, tinged with worry and fear.

"This is still fine," Sobek tried to say confidently, but his voice was filled with uncertainty. "This just means there's one for each of us!"

"Uh, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we're short a teammate," Collin said.

"Huh?" Sobek glanced about and, true to the Blaziken's words, they were short one Sableye. "WHERE THE HELL IS VEIL?!"

"He was with us when we came down from the arena, right?" DJ questioned, not taking his eyes of the creatures, which at that point had begun to close in.

"Not a huge priority at the moment," Collin said as he back away from the advancing creature's only to bump into Kimberly. "We're surrounded!"

The canines all drew close to the quartet, the two that were on the roofs having jumped down to join their brethren. They began to circle the four guild members, growling and snapping viciously at them as they did so. The quartet could only watch in anticipation as the canines continued to circle them, crowding them closer together like a group of predators does to their prey.

They all then stopped, mere feet from the quartet, and stared intently at the group. A heavy tension filtered through the air, muffling all sounds from the alley except for the savage growls and the sounds of frothy saliva thundering against the pavement. As the quartet readied themselves for the impending fight, DJ felt small beads of sweat form on his brow and drip down his face to his nose. A small droplet hung haphazardly for a moment before it fell and impacted against the pavement. This seemed to be the trigger as one of the canines leapt at the Lucario...

...only to be smashed to the side and into a wall by a large and highly pressurized jet of water.

The creature let out a startled yelp as it smashed into the wall, the water holding it there for a second before dying out. The creature slumped to the ground, still conscious, but completely drenched and visibly agitated. The other four creatures, and the four guild members, all looked towards the source of the attack only to be met with a barrage a many, many different attacks. The creatures jumped and evaded the attacks to the best of their ability, but the barrage was too great and some of the attacks made contact.

The quartet all stared, gobsmacked, as their previous aggressors were all but tossed to the other end of the alley, away from them. They looked to their saviors and blanched as they saw the collective guild members of the Grand Guild Games, minus Guise, the rest of Teams Stardust, Sunflare, and Odd Squad, and several other Pokémon that were most likely from the other guilds.

Wave stepped forward and grinned at the quartet. "Looks like you guys could use some help."

"Oh, thank Arceus," Collin sighed under his breath, visibly relieved.

"Good thing you guys got here when you did. Things were looking bad for us," DJ said gratefully, ignoring Sobek's 'We could've taken them'.

"What the heck _are_ those things?" Bertha questioned, slightly unnerved by the identical creatures.

"I don't know, but I don't care," Star growled, taking a step forward and glaring at the recovering quintet. "All I know is that they interrupted the games and I won't stand for that!"

"Maybe you should try and calm down a little," Precipice tried, only to be snapped at by the irate Garchomp.

"NEVER!"

"I do hope you don't end up like that," Blade whispered to Drake who gave not outward reaction other than a small twitch of his lips.

"How about we all stop arguing and deal with these... _things_ ," Asura suggested, eyeing their enemies critically. "They've caused a lot of damage to the city and its inhabitants and they need to be stopped."

"Agreed," Arthur said in a rather pompous manner as he floating forward and addressing the canines. "I don't know who or what you are or what your purpose is for that matter, but that doesn't matter. On our honor as members of our respective guilds, we will stop you here and now!"

The Aegislash's words seemed to have no impact on the group as they just continued to growl. The now large group of guild members all readied themselves for a fight, each of them confident with such numbers backing them.

The two opposing groups squared off against the other. A tense stillness washed over the two groups, as both sides appeared to be waiting for the other. The canines then, apparently receiving some unspoken signal moved at once, except they did not move forward. The moved back.

The guild members watched, completely caught off guard , as the five creatures all dashed out of the alley and went of in different directions. After a second passed, the shock over their sudden retreat wore off and they all got their wits about them.

"After them!" Wave cried. "We can't let them roam free in the city!"

With that, the large group raced out of the alley and split up into several groups, branching out across the city in hopes of catching the surprisingly quick creatures before they could cause anymore harm. The chase was on.

-Legend-

It was utter chaos the moment they all split up. The five strange creatures had spread widely across the city as they attempted to escape their pursuers. The creatures moved at an alarming rate, able to spread out through the city in a matter of seconds. Eventually, the guild members were able to catch up to their quarries and engaged them in battle.

Despite their superior numbers, the creatures proved to be difficult enemies. With their incredible agility and speed, they were able to keep up with the fastest of the guild members and evade their attacks with relative ease. Not only that, but they were also able to deflect and absorb the damage of the attacks that they were unable to avoid. This safeguard ability only made it more difficult to even injure the elusive creatures, but that was not the worst part.

When the creatures were backed, they did not just evade their attackers. They struck back with vengeance. They blasted the attacking guild members with bursts of dragon type energy or charged into them with bulldoze. Not to mention the unfamiliar shockwaves of red energy that they released upon stomping on the ground.

Shouts and screams mixed in with the constant rounds of explosions echoed throughout the entire city. Attacks flew off in every direction, damaging more of the city as the battles waged on. The guild members tried to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, but the creatures were incredibly destructive. Half of the time that they attacked they seemed to be attempting to destroy everything around them instead of targeting the guild members. This forced many of the guild members to pull back from their attacks and assist the citizens that were still fearfully trapped within their homes along with the members of the other guilds as well as the participating guilds that were in the audience.

DJ, as he was attempting to pursue a creature that was racing down the streets, was frowning. He was annoyed that the creatures were just running instead of fighting, but that was not why he was frowning. He was confused over why the creatures were there in the first place. They did not appear to have a purpose other than to destroy the city and its denizens

While they attacked guild members, it was only when they got close to boxing them in, but other than that, they just ran. They rampaged through the city, destroying buildings as they went, but giving little to no care towards the Pokémon pursuing them. The only time the creatures went out of their way to attack a Pokémon was when they encountered a civilian.

Every time the creatures came upon a guild member assisting a civilian or if a civilian stumbled upon them, they would attack. It became much more a twisted game of keeping the civilians out of the creatures' line of sight before they were attacked and that disturbed DJ.

He could not understand what their motives of this destruction was. They gave no indication that they could even speak let alone plan out such an attack. They acted a lot like wild Pokémon in their attacks yet they clearly had intelligence as they were smart enough to evade them as they were now.

DJ had tried to get a read on the creatures with his emotion sense, an ability that had increased with his evolution, but he could not feel them. Sure he could find them with his aura sight, but they gave nothing away, not even when they were attacking. They just seemed like blank slates. Some psychic types were able to shield their emotions to some degree, but it felt as if their was a barrier covering them. With these creatures, there was literally nothing there to feel, just unjustified aggression. That being said, despite having no emotions, their aura was immense.

Through his time using his aura sight, DJ found that the amount of aura a Pokémon had reflected their strength; the brighter they are, the more aura they have. The creatures practically glowed, like a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. They possessed so much aura that DJ did not need even _need_ his aura sight to sense their location, he just need to focus in and feel out their aura.

It bothered him that creatures with such aura had no emotions. It was like they were puppets. Incredibly strong and vicious puppets. And that worried DJ. After all, if they were the puppets, who was the puppet master.

The world, funnily enough, deemed this the moment to answer the former human's question. All at once, a large amount of aura erupted in the corner of his senses. DJ, who had been using his senses to track one of the creatures, stumbled forward when he felt the aura. Not sure what it was, DJ activated his aura sight and attempted to find whatever the source of the immense aura was.

To his shock, the aura was in the very center of the city. This surprised DJ as he never felt the the being enter the city in the first place. Through his sight, DJ could see that the being had the form of an enormous snake with five flat frills that stretched into the air. Its long tail split into five tendrils and possessed three short tendrils on either side of his chest. Around the creature, there were several other Pokémon all fleeing it as it chased several civilians and smashed through buildings as it went.

Seeing this, DJ immediately broke out into a run towards the creature's location. _How the hell did that thing get into the city?_ DJ asked himself. _I didn't even sense him! Can he hide his aura?_

DJ brushed these thoughts away and focused in on reaching his target. He rounded the last corner and laid eyes on the creature with his own eyes.

Like he saw with his aura sight, the creature was immense, at least sixteen feet in height. Its head to the top of its chest and all along its back was black while the rest of it was blood red. Its eyes were insect-like in the form of compound eyes that were made up of four red hexagons that were just as blank as the dog creatures rampaging through the city. Along its under belly were several hexagon markings.

DJ stared wide-eyed at the massive creature, only snapping out of his stupor when a shrill cry reached his ears. The creature was baring down on a small Tyrogue that was cowering in the ground. Acting on instinct, DJ formed an aura sphere in his paws and fired it at the creature.

The blue sphere soared through the air and exploded against the creature's massive head. DJ could see, as the smoke rolled off its form, that the creature did not seem to be all that affected by the attack. It did pause in its advancement on the small fighting type and turned its hexagonal eyes towards the Lucario.

DJ felt a shiver run down his spin as the blank eyes seemed to peer into him. Unlike with the other creatures, which, after seeing the overall design of the creature before him, DJ was almost sure were related to the behemoth in front of him, he could feel the snake's emotions. Feelings of superiority and haughtiness were some of the most prevalent with small splashes of annoyance and curiosity towards DJ, but this overarching feeling of malice and sinister intentions burned through it like the fires burning the city. The former human could not help but swallow thickly as he felt these emotions and quickly cut the link in order to calm himself.

" **Who are you?** " a raspy voice spoke out, seemingly in DJ's mind, causing the Lucario to jump. He looked around, not knowing where the voice was emanating from at first, before he turned back to the large snake.

"W-Was that you?" DJ asked, trying, and failing, to keep his shock and panic from his voice.

" **Who are you?** " it asked again as if it had not heard DJ's question. " **Who are you to stand in the way of my quarry?** "

DJ felt rage begin to boil at the apathetic tone of the creature's voice. It had just attempted to attack an innocent bystander and was acting as if DJ was in the wrong.

"Who are you to think that you can just attack this city without provocation?" he snarled.

The creature tilted its head ever so slightly, conveying its confusion. " **We are Zygarde and we do as we please.** "

DJ frowned. "What do you mean by we?"

" **We have lived secluded from the rest of the world. Watching over the lands on this planet. Watching as it withered and decayed through misuse and corruption of you mortals. But no longer.** " The creature reared in the air, stretching itself to its full height. " **We shall no longer stand idly by as you creatures destroy this world. So we shall destroy you first.** "

"What are you talking about, destroying this world?!" DJ demanded.

The creature, Zygarde, gestured to the burning city around them. " **This is the result of the corruption of you mortals. You destroy the natural world to form these ugly formations of stone and wood. Miles and miles of forests and woods, destroyed for the sake of these commodities, not even considering the affects that they have on the natural world.** "

"Look, I'm sure that-" DJ tried to say, but he was cut off.

" **You mortals have polluted this world for far to long without opposition,** " Zygarde said as if not hearing the Lucario. " **So now, we shall tear down all that you have created and return this world to its former glory, regardless of the resistance we receive.** "

"And what will you do to those that stand in your way?"

Zygarde bowed its head so that it was right in DJ's face. " **We shall achieve our goal, not matter the losses,** " it said, its raspy voice cold and held a hidden promise.

DJ glared up at the creature tensed his body. "Sorry not sorry, but we guild members won't let that happen."

Zygarde seemed to regard the Lucario, his emotions speaking of annoyance and slight anger. " **So you seek to stand against us. Very well.** " The large snake slithered back, creating a large, small for the Zygarde, amount of space between the two. It then turned back to Lucario and seemed to glare, making him feel grateful that the rest of the civilians had fled the moment Zygarde started talking. " **Then you shall fall along with this city. Now...face the wrath of a legendary!** "

With that, Zygarde struck.

-Legend-

As DJ and Zygarde began their battle, the rest of the guild members were still going after the dog-like creatures. Much like before, the creatures were constantly evading their pursuers and destroying everything in their path. Team Stardust, rejoined by Asura, were pursuing one of these creatures, only to wind up in a dead end alley.

"Arceus dammit!" Blitz shouted, punching the wall, and crying out in pain as he did so, in his anger. "That's the fifth time!"

"Oh calm down, Sobek," Asura scolded. "Getting angry and complaining won't help us. We just need to retrace our steps and find another one."

"But this is ridiculous!" Blitz half whined, half shouted. "Why can't they just stand and fight?!"

"We really don't have time to fight amongst ourselves," Grace said, stepping between Asura and Sobek. "Those things are rampaging through the city and attacking civilians. We _need_ to put a stop to that _now_!"

The shiny Pokémon cast a hard glare towards the Pikachu, causing the smaller Pokémon to shudder unconsciously. "Wh-Whatever!" he said, turning away from the -though he'd refuse to admit it- scary Mawile. As he did so, he noticed someone had entered the alley behind them. "Veil?"

The all turned and jumped slightly when the Sableye was standing directly behind them.

"Veil! What are you doing here?" Asura asked. "Why aren't you helping out the rest of the city."

The Sableye gave no response. He just stared almost blindly at the group, looking past them even. The team shifted awkwardly, not knowing what the Sableye was doing.

"Veil?" Asura questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"...things are going to change."

"Excuse me?" Asura asked.

Veil's jeweled eyes seemed to find Asura and peer at him. "Things are going to change," he repeated. "Things have been set in motion. Things that will change the very face of this world."

"What they hell are you going on about?!" Bertha demanded, walking up to the Sableye, bone in hand. "We don't have time fo-"

 **CRACK!**

Before any of them could blink, Bertha was thrown backwards into the alley. The Marrowak smashed into stone wall, a look of surprise plastered on her face, and slumped to the ground with a pained wheeze.

"Bertha!" Blitz shouted in alarm as he rushed to his friend.

Asura whirled around and glared heatedly at Veil. "What the hell was that for!"

"It has been set in motion," Veil said, his voice normally empty voice sounding slightly distorted and even more devoid than usual. "The beginning of the end."

He then raised his arms up as if expecting a hug. As he did, a Houndoom walked out from around the corner and entered the alley at the same time a Cofagrigus floated down from a nearby roof. The Houndoom and Cofagrigus moved to stand next to Veil, glaring and grinning at Team Stardust.

"Team Shadow Fall," Blade murmured.

"But what are they doing here?" Katara asked the barest beginnings of panic edging into her voice as the three member team stood in front of them.

"I believe," Asura said through gritted teeth, "that they're here to stop us from helping the city."

"What? Why?!" Katara exclaimed, looking to Asura to Team Shadow Fall. "They're guild members too!"

"Something is off about them," Leaf said, narrowing his eyes. "They feel...evil."

"The dark eclipse swiftly approaches," Veil said suddenly. As he spoke, a dark shadowy energy erupted from their bodies, engulfing their forms in a tight cocoon. After a few seconds the shadows melted off of the trio, revealing that their bodies had literally darkened, their colors now a darker shade of what they once were.

Veil's now ruby red eyes locked onto Asura's as a sharp-toothed grin spread across his face. "All shall be swallowed by the darkness."

As he said this, several more explosions and a fresh round of screams and shouts permeated the smoke chocked sky.

-Legend-

Spire blasted another gout of white hot flames at one of the fleeing dog creatures, cursing when it once again dodged it and raced away. "Dammit!"

"Spire!" The Charizard turned and saw Landon, Malum, Oceanus, and Dire racing towards him.

"Hurry up already, these things keep running away!" Spire snapped.

The group came to a stop next to the fire-flying type, panting slightly from exertion. Landon gazed at his brother reproachfully. "Spire, they're tired," he said. "We've been chasing those things for almost an hour straight."

"And they're still out their, destroying stuff!" Spire shot back. "We don't have time for them to take a snack break!"

"That is _not_ what I am suggesting," Landon said, trying his best to keep his temper under control. "If we keep going like this we won't have the strength to even face those things when we catch them!"

Spire bit his tongue to keep himself from snapping at his brother. He knew that he was right, his team was already tired from running and he could tell that Landon was still not at full strength from their fight with DJ and the Blaziken. He himself was not a hundred percent for that matter. Spire sighed in defeat, opening his mouth to agree with his twin when a disturbingly familiar voice reached their ears.

"Well, well. Would you look at this..."

The group froze in fear as the silkily smooth voice permeated the air, having no exact origin. Just to the left of the group, the shadows seemed to thicken, almost becoming corporeal, as a familiar purple figure rose out from the ground. The quintet could only watch in fear as Guise stood before them, his sinister grin firmly in place.

"...a group of weaklings posing as members of a guild."

"Guise," Spire almost whispered. The Charizard tried to glare intermediately, but it appeared to be more of a grimace. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Hmm?" the Gengar hummed. "Is it so wrong to come and exchange words to my _teammates_."

The way he stressed the word 'teammates' made it sound as if he had said something incredibly offensive and disgusting. Spire gulped audibly, unable to form the proper words to rebuttal. Thankfully for him, Malum stepped up and glared at the Gengar.

"Well we don't have time for your _words_ ," she all but growled. "In case you haven't noticed, were in the middle of something."

Guise's yes snapped to the Zoroark, his smile falling for a fraction of a second before it returned, albeit much colder. "I do not believe I was talking to you, trash," he purred chillingly. "Kindly shut up and scurry back to your bin."

Malum, despite herself, whimpered slightly at the intimidating figure that was Guise. Hearing this seemed to snap Spire out of his fear. He glared heatedly at the Gengar and snarled, "No. You don't get to put us down like that anymore!"

"Oh?" Guise said bemusedly, though they all could hear the dangerous undertone to his voice.

Spire gulped audibly, but stood his ground. "That's right," he said. "We won't put up with anymore of your abuse any longer. We are all members of the same guild and we demand the same respect that you think your are owed and until you understand that, you can piss off!"

He turned to the rest of his group, all of them staring wide-eyed at him. He grunted and began to move in the opposite direction of the Gengar. "Let's go. We have a city to save."

He had hardly taken a single step when a chilling chuckle started up from behind them. They all turned and saw Guise with his head bowed and his body shaking from mirth. His chuckles soon grew into full blown laughter that was anything but warm.

"You..you want respect?" Guise laughed. "You think that you are on the same level as me? Ridiculous!"

The Gengar's laughter slowly died down and Guise raised his head, pinning each and every Pokémon before him with his cold and malicious eyes. "I don't respect pathetic pieces of trash such as yourselves," he said. "Only the strong deserve to be respected. All others should know their place and stay under the feet of their better. But you..." His smile seemed to freeze the very air, "you fools walk around as if you are better than trash. It sickens me."

A dark aura began to emanated from the Gengar, surprising the group and causing them to take instinctual steps back. The energy began to slowly wrap around the ghost-poison type, forming a cocoon around him starting at his feet.

"It sickens me to the point where I want to throw up!" Guise spat, seemingly not noticing the darkness that were beginning to swallow him. His voice grew more and more angry and feral with each passing word. "You fools are nothing. Mere specks when compared to one such as myself!"

The dark aura engulfed his head, completing the cocoon. The five guild members could only watch in horrified awe as the energy seemed to melt of their former ally, leaving a blackened form with blood red eyes.

Guise eyes burned with unfiltered rage and promises of pain before he said in an ominous tone, "It believe it is time that I showed you _just_ how inferior you fools truly are."

-Legend-

DJ leapt back from the larger Pokémon as it attempted to smash him into the ground with another bulldoze. Landing lightly on his feet, DJ rocketed forward, intending to claw at Zygarde, only to be smacked to the side from by its large tail whipping out and smashing into him.

Rolling across the ground, stopping in a crouch, DJ leapt back once again, dodging a dragon pulse as he did. Jumping back even more, DJ fired an aura sphere at the behemoth, but, yet again, a glowing green shield was erected before it, negating some of the damage.

"That safeguard is getting really annoying," DJ grumbled aloud.

Zygarde tilted its head to the side in apparent confusion. " **Why do you continue to resist?** " it asked. " **Your attacks have had little to no affect on me and I have delivered several critical blows, yet you do not concede. Do you not understand the gap in our powers?** "

"I understand alright," DJ said, "but I don't care."

This seemed to confuse Zygarde. " **Explain.** "

"I told you before that I wouldn't let you have your way," DJ said simply. "I am a member of Gallade's Guild, an organization that exists to stop threats to the lives of Pokémon across the continent." DJ looked Zygarde right in its 'eyes'. "Threats like you."

" **You see us as a threat to this world and its inhabitants?** " Zygarde questioned. " **That is fine. Like you, we have our own motivations in completing our task, and we too will not stop until our goal is completed. In that way, we are quite alike. However...** "

A familiar glow of red energy surged through Zygarde and began to descend into the ground. " **...unlike you, we will accomplish our goal,** " he said before slamming his tail into the ground, releasing an explosion of red energy that tore through the ground, heading right for DJ at alarming speed.

DJ cried out in pain as the red energy engulfed him, sweeping him up in its progression before it finally faded. All around the large legend, the stonework was shattered and pulled up, revealing the earthen ground that rested underneath. Several yards away, DJ laid sprawled across the ruined ground. He was conscious, but in great pain. He struggled to push himself back to his feet, but found his legs unresponsive from the incredible earth type move.

Zygarde slithered slowly towards the prone Lucario, his gaze impassive. " **This battle has come to a conclusion** ," it said, towering over DJ. An orb of darkened dragon type energy began to form in front of where its mouth would be and began to swell. " **Our goal-no, our reason for living shall not be usurped by one such as yourself. Farewell.** "

Just as the beam of dragon energy reached critical mass and was about to be unleashed upon the Lucario, a large burst of high powered water cut through the air, slamming into Zygarde's face, causing the beam to miss DJ entirely.

Zygarde gave a high pitched screech, more so out of frustration than actual pain. It whipped its head around wildly, snarling, " **Who dares interfere?!** "

"Guilty as charged." Both Zygarde and DJ whipped towards the sudden voice. Standing a few feet off to the side was a proud and smirking Empoleon.

"Wow. You are some kinda ugly, aren't you?" Wave said, raising a brow at the legendary before him. He calmly walked over towards DJ, completely ignoring the large legend as it slowly backed away. He reached DJ and offered him a flipper. "Need some help?"

DJ smiled, despite of the situation, and grasped the flipper. Wave pulled him to his feet and steadied him. DJ smiled gratefully at his fellow former human. "Thanks. I thought I was a goner for a second."

"No problem," Wave said. "We humans have to stick together." His expression then turned to a serious one as he turned to face Zygarde. "So what's this one's story?"

"He's apparently a legendary," DJ explained, glancing at the large snake, who still had yet to act. "He and those canine creatures are apparently here 'cleanse' this world of the corruption and evil caused by us mortals."

"Huh, that's new one," Wave said, nodding his head before breaking out in a grin. "Well, how about we show him what two world saving humans can do."

DJ grinned as well. "Sounds like a plan."

" **You believe that the two of you combined are enough to defeat us?** " Zygarde questioned, sounding genuinely confused. " **Why? Nothing has changed. I am still superior to you, even with the addition of another.** "

Zygarde shook its head, seemingly unable to comprehend the duo's confidence and determination. " **If you two truly believe that you stand a chance, fine. We shall make clear your disposition.** "

Without warning, Zygarde released an ear shattering screech that seemed to reverberate through the entire city. Both DJ and Wave clasped their paws flippers over their ears in hopes to muffle to noise, bu to no effect.

"What the hell is that?!" Wave tried to shout over the noise. "A screech attack?"

"No!" DJ shouted back. "It's something else!"

-Legend-

All over the city, Pokémon were covering their ears to stifle the loud screech. All at once, the five dog like creatures froze, stopping whatever they were doing and looked towards the direction the sound was coming from. Without warning, they all dashed towards it, bypassing the confounded guild members.

"I don't get it. Are they retreating?" Aquila questioned, rubbing his ears.

"No, it is as if they are being called," Red answered, eyes narrowed in the direction the canines took off in.

"Hey~hey! Should we go after them?" Gasher asked uncertainly.

Before any of them could respond, burst of energy rained down from the sky, forcing them all to leap back of be hit. When the smoke cleared, dozens of Pokémon stepped forward, each of them a dark color than their species normally was.

Confused, several guild members stepped forward to question the new group only to be attacked before they could utter a single word and just like that, a new battle had begun.

-Legend-

Back with DJ and Wave, Zygarde had finally ceased its shrieking and stared at them. Unsure of what the legendary was planning, both dual steel types watched trepidaciously. The sounds of multiple feet slamming against the pavement soon reached their ears and they turned just in time to see all five dog-like creatures bounding towards them.

Gasping sharply, the two former humans attempted to prepare themselves to fight the incoming horde, but they just ran past the duo. Taken aback, DJ and Wave turned back around and faced the six Pokémon.

"So I was right. You are working with those things!" DJ shouted.

" **They are us and we are them,** " Zygarde said cryptically.

"What do you mean by that?" Wave questioned.

" **It means, just as we are Zygarde, they too are Zygarde,** " Zygarde said. **"We are the same being yet separate, but no longer. We now see that you shall not submit until you are utterly crushed.** "

Zygarde and the canines that it claimed to be Zygarde as well all started to glow a bright red that was eerily similar to the light of evolution. DJ and Wave watched in abject horror as the smaller canines seemed to turn into pure energy and were sucked into the larger Zygarde. The snake then began to swell in size and weight. As it grew it gained more humanoid features, growing arms and legs along with two flat wings growing from each of its shoulders. The glow finally faded, revealing the new and much more intimidating figure of Zygarde.

I retained the various hexagonal design that both the canine and serpentine form possessed along with a face-like design on its chest with a zigzag mouth. Zygarde's new head possessed a crown shape with three white hexagons on its face, one on its forehead and the other two serving as eyes. It wings, a dark blue on its right side and red on the other, possessed an undulating appearance along with 'mouths' at the very tip of the wings. It possessed a flat tail like the serpentine form and multiple white protrusions coming from its body, three on each hand serving as claws, one on each knee, and one on each foot. Blood red hexagons wrapped around its wrists, just above the claws, under its knees, and just below the white protrusions on its feet.

The colossal Pokémon towered over the duo. It was slightly shorter than its previous serpentine form, but far more intimidating. When it spoke, its voice was no longer raspy but a deep and booming explosion of sound. " **This is our true form. The true form of Zygarde. So tell me, mortals...Do you still believe that you have the confidence to defeat us?** "


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Clash in the Gilded City

DJ and Wave stared in awe at the colossal Pokémon that towered over them. It's blank hexagonal eyes stared superiorly down at them, as if they were nothing but insects. Its wings rippled around the titan as if with minds of their own, the tips of them opening and closing like hungry mouths begging for food. Its hands, while blocky and pointed, were clenching and unclenching, portraying the stoic giant's growing anticipation for the fight.

"This isn't looking good," DJ murmured nervously to Wave. The sheer amount of power that the legendary was exuding was far greater than anything he had ever encountered, including Darkrai and Cobalion. He knew that the being before them was an a completely different level than them.

"He's strong. It would be stupid to think otherwise," Wave admitted, his steely gaze never leaving Zygarde. "If I'm being honest, he's probably stronger than anyone I have ever faced."

"Great pep-talk," DJ drawled sarcastically. "Any ideas?"

"Can you still mega evolve?" Wave questioned to which DJ shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no," DJ said. "Mega evolution is still new for me and I need time to recover from the effects. That and I have not fully recovered from my last fight."

"Damn," Wave cursed. "That makes things a little more difficult."

" **Enough talk,** " Zygarde suddenly rumbled, breaking the duo out of the conversation. " **You are standing in our way. For that you shall suffer.** "

With that, its wings flared out and the mouth like points opened simultaneously. Acting on nothing but instinctively, both Pokémon leapt to the side the same moment as four large beams of purplish-blue energy rays shot down at them. The dragon pulses tore into the ground, sending large chunks of stone and earth in every direction.

"Arceus!" DJ cried out in shock at the large crater that was formed right where they once stood. "This guy has no chill!"

This seemed to baffle the large Pokémon. " **We** **are no ice type. We am a dragon!** " he roared, firing another round of dragon pulses, centered on the Lucario.

"It's expression!" DJ yelped, dancing out of the way of the beams of dragon-type energy.

"I don't think he cares!" Wave called, unleashing a large blast of water which slammed into the legendary's side, causing it to stumble back, but appeared to be otherwise unharmed.

"Obviously!" DJ shot back, firing an aura sphere at their attacker.

Zygarde growled incomprehensibly, swatting the blue sphere away as if it were merely a fly. It then lifted its foot and smashed it into the already broken stone road. A large shockwave, originating from where Zygarde's foot, traveled swiftly across the ground towards the duo, the stone becoming uprooted and broken beyond repair. The duo managed to leap away from the bulldoze attack just in time, but the wave of ground type energy continued on and smashed into on of the few buildings around them that had remained standing. In a matter of seconds, the foundation cracked and shattered, bringing down the entire building down in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, by that point, every citizen that had been in the immediate area had fled so no one was harmed by the destruction.

Slightly in awe over the destruction caused by a single attack, DJ quickly shook his head and focused on the task at hand. Forming his claws, DJ sped towards the giant and leapt at it, raking his metal coated claws over Zygarde's chest. Unfortunately for him, the attack seemed to do almost no visible damage to the much larger Pokémon. Zygarde then, with an almost lazy motion, reached up and smacked DJ with its large hand and sent crashing to the ground.

Releasing a silent cry of pain as the air was forcibly stolen from his lungs. Laying their stunned, DJ was in no position to move, even as Zygarde lifted its foot to crush the Lucario. However, before it could turn DJ into a blue smear, a large tornado of water came crashing into Zygarde's leg, entrapping its leg in a swirling vortex of water. With the water pulling its leg several directions at one and only balancing on leg, Zygarde was sent crashing to the ground.

Now recovered, DJ sent the Empoleon a quick look of gratitude before leaping at Zygarde again. Landing harshly on the Pokémon's chest, the Lucario reared back his fist and slammed a power-punch into its chest. When this seemed to do nothing, DJ continued his assault, each punch doing more and more damage with each hit. Just as he was raising his fist to deliver another blow, on of the wings lifted off the ground and released a dragon pulse at the Lucario. Unable to dodge in time, DJ was sent hurtling across the street.

Seeing his ally getting thrown across the street, Wave raced to his side, but was stopped by a shockwave slamming into him. After jettisoning the Lucario off of its chest, Zygarde had slammed its fist onto the ground, creating another shockwave that raced towards Wave as he rushed to assist the aura Pokémon. The earth type attack slammed into Wave, causing the water-steel type to shriek in pain and go flying into one of the ruined buildings.

Advancing towards the downed Empoleon, Zygarde was unprepared for a burst of energy to explode against the back of its head. Jolting forward from the force of the hit, Zygarde growled and swung around furiously and faced a smirking Lucario.

DJ smirked up at legendary Pokémon and waggled his finger in a way that was reminiscent of a mother reprimanding their child. "Oh, no you don't. Your fight's with me, ugly," he said, sounding more confident than he felt.

Fortunately, DJ's comment earned him the legendary's attention. Unfortunately, DJ's comment earned the legendary's attention.

DJ gulped thickly as the larger Pokémon roared and charged him. As the behemoth bared down on him, one thought went through DJ's mind: _This is going to suck._

-Legend-

As DJ and Wave were fighting Zygarde, the rest of the city was in a state of chaos. Shortly after the Zygarde dogs had 'fled' multiple other Pokémon descended upon the city, each appearing to be a darker version of themselves. Like the Zygarde, these Pokémon were attacking anything and everything in sight. The guild members were fighting to the best of their ability, but there was something unnatural about the darkened Pokémon. They seemed stronger and more violent than their natural counterparts, something that was causing the guilds a great deal of distress. Team Stardust -minus DJ- in particular was dealing with a rather 'stressful' situation.

"Why are you doing this, Veil?!" Asura demanded through gritted teeth as he dodged another dark pulse.

"This age is coming to an end," he said simply, his sinister grin never leaving his face. "The age of light and piece is coming to an end. In its place, an era of darkness shall reign."

"What the hell does that even mean?!" Blitz shouted, avoiding a flamethrower sent his way from the dark Houndoom.

Bertha, seeing her teammate in trouble, chucked her bone at the devil dog, beaning it in the head and sending it into a daze. Before she could pat herself on the back, she was struck from behind by an energy ball.

The Cofagrigus laughed ominously as the Marrowak fell forward in pain and prepared to fire another when they were struck by a bolt of electricity followed by a large stream of water. Blitz and Jet, seeing Bertha go down, had leapt into action, firing their respective attacks to take the ghost type's focus off of the ground type.

Both Drake and Blade had engaged Veil along with Asura in a fast pace battle of claws and fists. Veil, despite his speed, was hard pressed to defend against the barrage of attacks. His grin had fallen, replaced by a look of annoyance.

Growling, Veil was about to strike back when the three fighting him suddenly leapt back. Confused, Veil had no time to react as a large twister of pink wind rammed into his side, sucking him into it and tossing him around like a rag doll. After almost a minute of being spun around with pain from the fairy type infused winds lacing through his body, the winds dispersed and Veil fell to the ground with a grunt. Growling, Veil pushed himself to his feet once more, he looked up and saw his two teammates being trapped in a large orb of water, courtesy of the Frogadier, before an energy ball slammed into it and detonated, sending both Pokémon to the ground.

"It's over, Veil," Asura said, grabbing the Sableye's attention. "You can't win."

Veil growled at that. "No, it will not end like this. The shadows will fall and all will be consumed by the darkness." He seemed to look past the team and his grin returned full force. "Just as you friends have."

The group all gained confused looks before a torrent of flames launched down from above them, hitting right between Veil and the team. Team Stardust all jumped back on instinct and looked up on the nearby roof and what they saw horrified them.

Standing above them with mirroring glares, was Team Sunflare, or rather a version of them. Like Veil and his team, Team Sunflare were a darker color and seemed to radiate a kind of evilness that was all too familiar to them.

"No way," Katara muttered, gaping in shock.

"Team Sunflare?" Grace said, equally shocked. "How can this be?"

The darkened team leapt down from their perch, standing between the team and Veil. Collin stepped forward, his once reddish-orange feathers now a dark gray. "All will fall to the new age of darkness," he said monotonously.

"What's going on?" Jet questioned, eyeing the team in confusion. "Why are they like this?"

"It's like with Darkrai and Cobalion," Katara said.

"How is that possible?" Blade questioned.

"We can worry about that later," Asura said, drawing the attention of his team. "If they are like Darkrai and Cobalion, then we just need to beat them and they'll return to their normal state, right?"

"Maybe," Katara said uncertainly. "It worked before, but..."

"Then that's what we'll do," Asura said.

"A foolish declaration," Veil said, stepping out from behind Collin in order to sneer at the group. "You will fall before our might. Surrender now and be brought into the new era of darkness or stand against us and die."

"Okay, that's seriously getting creepy," Blitz muttered under his breath.

"We won't surrender!" Asura declared, ignoring Blitz's comment. "Whatever this _era_ you're talking about is, we'll stop it!"

"Hmph. Then die as fools," Veil sneered. The darkness Pokémon looked at Team Sunflare and his own team, who were just getting up, and grinned evilly, pointing at Team Stardust as he did so. "Kill them!"

Without another word, the glares of the darkened Pokémon intensified and leapt at Team Stardust. The aforementioned team grimaced, but prepared themselves all the same. Even if they were friends, Team Stardust owed it to Team Sunflare to snap them out of it. No matter the consequences.

-Legend-

Spire cried out in pain as a shadow ball slammed into his stomach and was flung several feet into the air. Landon, seeing this, growled and charged Guise in retribution, only to be batted away like a fly by a shadow claw.

Both Charizard crashed to the ground that the same moment, earning a laugh from Guise. The Gengar had mega evolved once more despite the fact that he had already done so a few hours prior during his fight with Asura, the dark aura around him apparently rejuvenating his strength. He had already knocked out Dire, Oceanus, and Malum, the latter two being trapped within nightmares and being fed off of with dream eater, and the Charizard siblings were barely hanging on.

"Pathetic as always," Guise jeered at the duo, siphoning more energy from Malum and Oceanus. "You can't even hurt me!"

"Kind of hard when you keep taking energy from our friends!" Landon growled, getting back to his feet.

"Excuses, excuses," Guise said dismissively. He lifted up one of his arms and fired a shadow ball at Landon who quickly dove to the side to avoid. "The fact of the matter is that you are trash compared to someone like me. And with this power-" Guise gestured to his current form, "-you're even lower than trash!"

"We'll see about that!" Spire roared in challenge. Tail flame bursting with new life, a red aura emanating from his body, Spire released a large fire blast that went barreling towards the mega evolved ghost.

Guise just kept his usual smile as the large fiery symbol raced towards him. At the last possible second, he lifted his arm and swung downwards with a shadow claw. The ghostly claw swept through the flames, cutting the symbol in half. The now split fire attack raced right past Guise and smashed into a nearby building, engulfing it in flames and demolishing a portion of the wall.

Spire gaped at how easily his strongest attack was rendered useless. Guise, capitalizing on Spire's surprise, seemingly appeared in front of the flame Pokémon and slashed at him with another shadow claw. Spire cried out in pain and fell back, stunned. Guise moved to do more, but was stopped by Landon, who had charged up a solar beam and fired it at him.

Guise quickly disappeared from view, causing the ray of solar energy hit the ground. Landon immediately took to the skies, knowing Guise's like for appearing behind his opponents, and scouted the area with a keen eye. After a few seconds, a shadow ball flew at him from his left. Landon dodged the attack and sent a flamethrower in the direction the attack came from, only to be hit from the side by another shadow ball.

Landon cried out, falling a few feet before catching himself, and glaring in the direction the second attack had come from. All at once, a spray of shadow balls launched towards the shiny Charizard from all angles. Eyes widening, Landon entered a furious aerial dance in his attempt to avoid the incoming orbs of shadowy energy. He ducked, twisted, and dove in his attempt to dodge, he even batted several away with his own attacks, but there were simply too many. He was soon overwhelmed and buffeted with the shadow balls and engulfed in a steadily growing explosion.

The barrage stopped shortly after, allowing Landon's prone form to fall from the smoke cloud and crash to the ground. Guise appeared not a second after the Charizard fell and laughed victoriously. "It's like I said! You're nothing but trash!" he jeered.

As the Gengar was laughing, Spire had recovered and flown at their former teammate, his claws ablaze with dragonic energy. Just as he was about to dig his claws into the mega Pokémon, he swung around and grabbed Spire by his throat. Spire choked and struggled feebly in the ghost-poison type's grip as Guise turned his head and grinned evilly at the Charizard.

"An admirable attempt, but, overall, futile." Guise formed another shadow ball in his free hand, the dark glow of the orb casting an ominous light over Guise's face. "I believe it is time that we cut to the chase and end this little game."

Still lying on the ground in pain, Landon had just enough strength to lift his head and shout, "No! Don't!"

Guise paid the downed sibling no mind and began to cackle madly. "This is the end of you, but don't be discouraged. At least now you won't bring shame to your father's guild!" the demented Gengar cackled.

Spire gritted his teeth, glaring in defiance. Guise just grinned sadistically, pushing more energy into the shadow ball. With a final mad cackle that drowned out Landon's shouts, Guise swung his arm towards Spire with the intention of slamming the attack into Spire's stomach.

Time slowed for all those present. Landon's eyes were wide and full of horror, fear for his brother, and helplessness over not being able to help him. Guise's expression was full of satisfaction over being so close to ending a life, his sadism bleeding out to the point where he was almost drooling in anticipation. Spire continued to glare defiantly, not willing to show fear to Guise.

The attack was mere inches from him, Spire closed his eyes in resignation and braced himself for the incoming attack.

-Legend-

"Now!" Wave shouted as he released a torrent empowered hydro cannon at Zygarde.

"Right!" DJ shouted, firing an aura sphere.

The two attacks combined just before reaching the large dragon-ground type and slammed into the larger Pokémon's chest. Zygarde stumbled back from the force of the attack and gave a guttural groan of pain, but gave no other reaction to the attack. It then roared loudly, its body glowing with a familiar red energy. Before either DJ or Wave could react, Zygarde slammed its fist into the ground, releasing a wave of red energy towards the duo.

The energy seeped into the earth as it traveled, creating breaks and cracks in ground, sending debris everywhere. The energy swiftly reached the Lucario and Empoleon and they were engulfed by the energy. They both screeched in pain as the super-effective attack engulfed them, racking their bodies with pain as the ground around them exploded.

Smoke billowed all around the area, Zygarde standing just above it. At it cleared, a deep ragged trench became visible having been carved into the ground by Zygarde's land's wrath. At the end of the trench, in a large crater, were DJ and Wave, strewn across the ground. They were conscious, but were in clear pain and unable to move.

"Ugh...can you move?" Wave asked weakly.

"No," DJ gasped out. "You?"

"No," Wave answered. He then chuckled before coughing feebly. "This looks bad."

"Yeah," DJ agreed.

Thundering footfalls brought the duo's attention to the legendary. Zygarde towered above their prone forms, its white eyes blank and holding no emotion. " **You have fought admirably, but the end remains the same. You-** "

"Yack, yack, yack!" DJ interrupted with a bored drawl. "We don't want to here!"

"I don't know about you, but I've heard this line so many times I lost count," Wave said humorously despite the pain.

"I know, it's like every villain speaks from the same book," DJ commented, giving a pained laugh.

" **We are not a villain,** " Zygarde denied. Its voice, while robotic and monotone, sounded as if it was affronted. **"We do this to bring about change for the new era.** "

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," DJ said dismissively.

This seemed to annoy Zygarde though it did not give any outward reaction. It remained silent for several seconds, seemingly overcoming its annoyance, before speaking once more. " **Because of your resilience, we shall bestow upon you a swift death. Prepare yourselves.** "

With that, Zygarde leapt into the air, its wings flaring out to carry it higher. It hovered several yards over the city, giving it a large view of the ruined city. Its focus then turned to the blue dots that were its previous enemies. Its gaze narrowed as the zigzag pattern on its chest opened up, revealing a mouth-like compartment and a glowing core in the center.

The core's red light increased to a blinding nova as more and more energy began to build up. DJ and Wave watched helplessly as the energy continued to build within Zygarde's chest to the point of critical mass. Zygarde regarded the prone duo a second longer, almost as if it were having second thoughts, before its determination returned. With a loud " **Farewell,** " the legendary unleashed a large blast of red energy towards the city.

The energy slammed into the earth and began to move along with Zygarde, forming a large 'Z' on the ground, both DJ and Wave being near the center. All was still as the giant letter was carved into the ground with red energy before, all at once, it violently exploded, demolishing part of the city and completely engulfing DJ and Wave.

Zygarde gazed down at the destruction it had caused and sighed. It was over.

-Legend-

Back with Team Stardust, they were barely holding their own. With the combined might of Team Shadow Fall and Team Sunflare, Team Stardust were being pushed back. While normally the teams would more or less be on the same level, the dark energy that was engulfing the larger group practically doubled.

"Dammit," Asura cursed.

"This is not good," Jet stated bluntly.

"Tell us something new, why don't you," Blitz growled, moving with a slight limp.

"Our chances of winning this battle are slim to none at this point," Leaf commented grimly.

"We already know that, you don't need to say it," Bertha growled out, glaring at their opposition while fingering her bone.

"Your Grovyle is right," Veil commented. "You should give up now and spare yourselves the humiliation."

"Shut up," Asura snarled.

"There's no shame in falling to the darkness," Veil said as if he were trying to pacify the team. "After all, your friends have fallen as well."

"I said shut up!" Asura roared. "I don't care how outmatched we are, we are members of Gallade's Guild, and that means we don't give up!"

At Asura's rallying cry, his team gained confidence. They pushed aside their pain and injuries, their hopeless expressions shifting to looks of determination. Their fire and will to win returning tenfold.

" We will fight to our last breath if we have to, because that is what we do!" he continued, just as determined if not more so. "We would rather die than give up and leave innocent Pokémon in harms way!"

Veil's red eyes regarded the group impassively. "If that is how you feel, then fine." He looked at his dark allies and grinned. "Kill them."

All of them, even Team Sunflare all nodded in ascent. They all moved to attack the smaller group, who had all tensed, ready for what would be a brutal battle. Just as the two groups were about to meet, a large purple spinning blade cut through the air and slammed into the ground, causing both sides to stop moving from sheer shock.

Veil's own shock soon turned to rage over the sudden interruption. "Who dares interfere?!" he questioned angrily.

"That would be me."

A white and green humanoid then leapt down from one of the roofs and landed between the two sides. Team Stardust and Veil all gasped as they recognized the figure.

"You?!" Veil shouted in both shock and fury.

"Yes," the figure said, a sly grin showing on their face. "Me."

-Legend-

Guise continued to laugh maniacally as his attack was about to make contact. However, before he could finish his attack, a strong clawed hand lashed out, seemingly from nowhere, and grabbed Guise's arm before his attack could hit Spire.

Guise's head whipped around, rage evident in all three of his eyes before he paled greatly at the enraged Pokémon grabbing him.

"Don't. Even. Try," they growled furiously.

-Legend-

Zygarde flew back to the ground as the smoke was just beginning to subside. He gazed at the destruction they caused with almost a forlorn expression. It shook its head as if clearing such thoughts from its head.

" **It does not matter,** " they said, turning away. " **It is done.** "

"La~la~la! It's not over yet~!" Zygarde's head snapped around, blank eyes widening marginally.

The smoke cleared revealing, not two, but three Pokémon. Standing directly in front of DJ and Wave, completely unscathed, was smiling and dancing Wigglytuff.

"Such a big attack~!" Emrys gushed. "You must be strong!"

"G-Guildmaster?" Wave gasped. "What are you doing here!"

"You didn't think that the guildmasters would just sit by as the city was attacked, did you?" Clef said as he flew down to stand next to the downed duo. "As we speak, the other guildmasters are assisting in defeating all the darkened Pokémon that are attacking the city."

"Just sit back, friendly friends!~" Emrys said, still smiling at Zygarde.

"What?!" DJ exclaimed, trying to sit up only to hiss in pain. Undeterred, he still voiced his thoughts. "You can't fight it alone! It's a legendary! Just look at what happened to us!"

"Hush, you!" Clef said sternly. "Guildmaster Wigglytuff is more than capable of handling himself."

"But..." DJ tried again, only for Emrys to cut him off.

"You don't trust me? Booo!" Emrys booed childishly, not helping with DJ's confidence at all.

"Guildmaster," Wave said. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"No, no! You two rest up! I'll be fine!" Emrys said confidently, his smile never leaving his face.

" **You wish to fight us alone?** " Zygarde questioned, almost scoffing. " **Foolish.** "

"No, not foolish," Emrys disagreed. "Fun!"

Zygarde appeared to become confused. " **You are strange.** "

"Thank you~!" the Wigglytuff cried as if that was the best compliment he had ever received. "Now let's fight~!"

 **Author's Note:**

I am so sorry that this is so late. I got back about two weeks ago from my study abroad program in London, after a lot of drama from American Airlines, and I was too tired to write that week. Then, when I was about to start, I caught something and I've been coughing up a lung for the past week. I'm a lot better now, so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently. Again, sorry for the lateness and thank you all for your continued support. See you next time.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Clash of Titans

Tobias swiftly ducked under a sky uppercut from Collin and kicked him away before ducking under a dragon breath attack from Max. He then launched a psycho attack at the Flygon only for it to be blocked by Tyler as he jumped in front of the attack, using protect.

Frowning marginally, dashed forward and struck Tyler with a swift brick break the moment his shield faded, sending the Larion into Max. Hearing the sounds of approaching footsteps, the Gallade lashed out with his arm and grabbed the claw that was seconds away from striking his neck. Without so much as a backwards glance at the Charmeleon that was trapped in his grip, Tobias swung him around, sending John barreling into the pile of Tyler and Max.

Before he could relax, Jesse charged at him from the side, his hands glowing with poison. The Croagunk sent multiple jabs at the older Pokémon, but he could not land a hit against the much more experienced Pokémon. The psychic-fighting type ducked under a poison jab sent towards his head and grabbed the extended arm. Sensing the approach of Veil's two teammates, Tobias tossed the poison-fighting type at the duo and fired a barrage of sharpened stones at the group. The stones slammed into the trio, exploding against their bodies as they were all sent flying.

Turning back around, Tobias was met by the combined barrage of Collin and Kent. The two fire-fighting types unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks at the Gallade, but none of them hit. Tobias deflected every attempt at hitting him with swift and precise movements. Seeing an opening, Tobias lunged forward and knocked both fire-fighting types towards opposite sides of the ally with twin brick breaks.

Glancing around, Tobias saw that the darkened Pokémon were getting back to their feet. Glancing further back towards the entry to the ally, he could just see the retreating backs of his son's team. He had sent them on so that may assist the other teams in defending the city. They were reluctant, but they eventually agreed to allow their guild master to handle Team Shadow Fall and Team Sunflare.

He prepared himself to attack again, but paused at the sound of slow clapping. "Yes, bravo, _Guildmaster_ ," Veil sneered condescendingly. "You've done well to fend off their attacks for so long, but it'll all be over soon."

"Oh, and how is that?" Tobias questioned coldly.

"Even if, by some miracle, you are able to defeat your _former_ subordinates-" Veil took pleasure in seeing the harsh glare flicker across the Gallade's features as he said 'former', "not to mention myself, there are still hundreds of other Pokémon attacking this city as well! Even with your son's team assisting, it's only a matter of time before they too will fall. One Pokémon, even one such as yourself, has no hope of defeating all of us."

Tobias was silent for a while, seemingly allowing Veil's words to sink in. Seeing his former guild master's silence, Veil grinned in victory. He opened his mouth to gloat some more, but was stopped when Tobias suddenly started to chuckle. His chuckle then evolved into full blown laughter as if he has had heard the funniest joke.

"Wh-What are you laughing at?!" Veil demanded angrily.

Tobias seemed to sober up somewhat, but mirth was to prevalent in his eyes. "Sorry. It is just funny that you think that I am alone in this?"

Veil's expression read confusion. He opened his mouth to say something when several loud explosions echoed through the city followed by several loud, almost feral shouts. Veil whirled around towards the back entrance, gobsmacked. "What is this?!"

"I am not the only one joining the fray," Tobias said with an almost chilling grin. "The other guild masters and myself refused to sit on the sidelines any longer while our children do the fighting for us!"

"Your...children?" Veil said slowly. "What is that, some delusional grandeur of family and love?"

"You could say that," Tobias said, "but, as I'm sure you know, all those in my guild are my children. Many guild masters do, and like our children, should any harm come to them..."

The air seemed to grow cold and a palpable wave of foreboding washed over the narrow alley. Tobias slowly raised his head an pinned Veil with a murderous glare. "...I will not rest until the ones responsible are punished!"

Veil recoiled unconsciously at Tobias' sudden shout, momentarily stricken with fear. He was quick to snap out of his revere, however, and was soon snarling darkly at the blade Pokémon. His snarl then changed to a sinister smirk when he took note of something behind the Gallade.

"Is that so? Then what will you do when your _children_ strike at you?"

As he said that, both Kent and Collin leapt at Tobias from behind. They were about attack their guild master when a flash of blue suddenly appeared between them and sent the two fire-fighting types flying.

Not even turning around to face the new arrival, a small smirk found its way on Tobias' face. "I knew they were there, Alistair," he said.

"I know," the Lucario said, getting up out of his crouch, "but things will go faster if there are two of us."

Tobias laughed out right. "True enough."

Both former teammates slowly moved closer to the other, back to back. As they did so, the darkened Pokémon had all but fully recovered and had begun to surround the duo.

"Just like old times?" Alistair asked, a smile on his face.

"Just like old times," Tobias confirmed. He then looked towards Veil who was standing towards the back of the group, gritting his teeth. "Veil, you asked what I would do if my children lashed out against me. Well..." He slipped into a fighting stance. "...all children need discipline in order to come back to the right path."

With that, the two members of Team SATE struck.

Wasting no time, Alistair charged up an aura sphere and launched it at Tyler, seeking to swiftly take him out of the battle, but his attack was halted by the Larion's protect. Unperturbed, Alistair charged forward, summoning a glowing bone in his paws and attacked the glowing shield with swift blows.

The shield began to rattle and crack at Alistair's relentless assault, Tyler's concentration waning with each blow. Just as the shield shattered and Alistair was about to strike, Max attacked him from behind with a sand tomb. Sensing the attack, Alistair leapt out of the way and swung the bone at Max instead.

The Flygon cried out in surprise and pain and fell to the ground. With his ally down, Tyler leapt at Alistair's unprotected back, but, with another swing of his bone, Alistair sent the heavy Pokémon flying into Jesse and John as they tried to get close. The large steel type practically crushed the poor Croagunk and Charmeleon under his weight, but Alistair did not allow himself to dwell on it. He quickly formed another aura sphere and fired it at the downed trio which exploded upon contact and sent them flying.

At the other side of the alley, Tobias had once more sent Collin flying and had Kent in an arm lock. The Infernape tried desperately to break out of the Gallade's grip, but the elder Pokémon was too strong. With an almost lazy movement, Tobias' grip tightened and Kent found himself flung at Collin, who was just getting back to his feet. Collin collapsed under Kent's weight, once more falling to the ground. Before either of them could get back up, Tobias had already sent a psycho cut their way.

Turning away from the explosion caused by his attack, Tobias set his sights on the Houndoom and Cofagrigus as they charged towards him. Eyes narrowing, Tobias suddenly lifted his arm and punched the ground with extreme force. Cracks spread out from his fist and jagged spikes of stone erupted from the ground, traveling towards the duo at an alarming pace.

The Cofagrigus was able to move out of the way in time, but the Houndoom was struck point blank by several of the stones, causing him to cry out in agony. The Cofagrigus growled, his darker than usual red eyes flashing. Four spectral hands exited his sarcophagus and came together to form a shadow ball and fired it at Tobias.

Tobias glanced at the attack and swung his arm at it as if to bat it away. As he did, his arm glowed a grassy green, his bladed arm elongating by several inches. As the orb made contact with Tobias' arm, it was split in half and dispersed into a harmless burst of sparkles.

The Cofagrigus grit its teeth angrily before firing a storm of shadow balls down at the Gallade. Smirking to himself, Tobias leapt at the incoming swarm of ghost type attacks and preceded to cut through each one with apparent ease. Gaping in shock, the Cofagrigus was unable to dodge Tobias as he unleashed a brutal assault with his leaf blades.

The Cofagrigus fell to the ground with a thud, its form retreating into its sarcophagus to heal. Landing lightly, Tobias grinned in triumph. He was about to turn his attention to Veil when the Houndoom suddenly leapt at him, his fangs burning with red hot flames. He had just raised his arm in defense when an aura sphere whizzed past his head and impacted against the Houndoom, sending it to the ground.

"You're welcome," Alistair said cheekily.

Tobias' eyes narrowed before he suddenly swung his arm and released a psycho cut at Alistair. The Lucario yelped and moved to block the attack, but it simply raced past him and hit Max as he tried to sneak up on the Lucario.

"You're welcome," Tobias mimicked, just as cheeky at Alistair had been.

"Smart ass," Alistair growled, catching the arms of Jesse and John as they attempted to attack him with brick break and fire punch respectively.

In a matter minutes, Tobias and Alistair had defeated the darkened Team Sunflare and two of Team Shadow Fall. As they laid unconscious on the ground, the darkness that had changed them lifted from them, reverting them to their previous states. Soon, only Veil was left.

The heavily injured Sableye backed away, his eyes wide with fear. "Y-You... You!" Veil growled ferally at the untouched elder Pokémon. "Damn you both!"

The ghost-dark type launched a dark pulse at the duo in a last ditch effort to destroy them. Gazing at the attack impassively, Tobias and Alistair swiped at the attack with leaf blade and bone rush respectively, destroying the attack with ease.

"You haven't won!" Veil snarled. "Even if you save this place, there is more to follow." Veil grinned evilly. "As we speak, the other legendaries are mobilizing, making plans to bring this world to ruin for the sake of our master! Soon, this world will be plunged into darkness!"

"Even if that is true," Tobias began, "we will not sit by and let it happen. Even if it is futile, we will fight to our last breath!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Veil snarled.

"I've heard enough," Tobias said before dashing at the Sableye and slashing him with a leaf blade attack.

Veil gave a silent scream of pain as he fell to the ground. He finally succumbed to his injuries, passing out on the ground, the shadows leaving him.

Tobias stared at the unconscious Sableye with a blank expression. Alistair walked up to his friend and placed a reassuring paw on his shoulder, prompting Tobias to look at him. The Lucario's face was solemn, but a clear sense of determination was evident in his eyes.

"Let's go," the aura Pokémon said. "There's still a lot to do."

"Right," Tobias nodded, allowing his friend to lead him out of the alley.

-Legend-

"A-Aodhan!" Guise gasped, unconsciously releasing his grip on Spire. "Wh-What are you-"

He never got to finish as an electrified fist slams into his face. The mega evolved ghost was sent flying back, his entire body reeling in pain as electricity crackled around his body. As he got back to his feet, he stared fearfully at the enraged Charizard.

"Father," Landon gaped.

"Dad," Spire said weakly.

Aodhan spared his sons and his guild members a glance before turning back to Guise, his expression, if possible, increasing in anger. "How dare you," he growled lowly, silencing Guise's pathetic whimpers. "How dare you do this to _my_ guild. To _my_ subordinates!"

With a roar, Aodhan flew towards Guise at blinding speeds, his wings taking on a bright white glow. Guise had no time to react before Aodhan sent him flying into the air. Roaring again, Aodhan takes to the air, following after the Gengar and slamming his wing into the ghost just as he reached the apex of his ascent.

"To my guild members! Aodhan roared, hitting Guise once more from the side. "To my children!"

Guise was batted around the air like a Persian playing with a Rattata, unable to defend against the guild master's relentless assault. Aodhan slammed into the Gengar again and again, keeping Guise from reaching the ground. Apparently done with 'playing' with the Gengar, Aodhan flew above him, grasped his claws together (which were coated in electricity), and slammed Guise back towards the ground.

Guise cried out in pain as he was sent rocketing towards the ground at alarming speeds. With a loud crash, Guise smashed into the ground, a plume of dust erupting around him as part of the ground caved in under him.

"Holy Arceus," Spire murmured to his brother, a look of awe on his face. "Dad's a badass."

"Yeah," Landon muttered back, his mouth ajar.

Aodhan slammed into the ground, shaking the ground as he did. He stomped over to the prone Gengar, his rage never once petering out. "Get up!" he snarled. "I'm not done with you!"

Guise groaned, pushing himself back to his feet, his fear still evident, but anger was now prevalent in his red eyes. "Damn you."

"You'll pay for what you've done," Aodhan growled, an orangish glow emanating from his mouth.

"What have I done?!" Guise growled. "You wanted your team for the games to be strong! I just provided incentive!"

"Through torture?!" Aodhan roared, releasing a blast of flames at the ghost-poison type.

Gengar hissed as he flew out of the way of the flames. "Would you have cared if you had known?!" he shouted.

"Of course I would!"

"Really?" Guise snapped viciously. "Or are you simply acting this way because the other guild masters found out?!"

Aodhan froze, completely caught off guard. "What?"

Guise sneered victoriously. "Yes, of course. That's it, isn't it? You're only angry because the others found out! You truly couldn't care one way or the other. You couldn't care less!"

"That's not why!" Aodhan denied angrily, preparing to attack the Gengar again.

"Of course it is!" Guise shouted. "In fact, I bet you knew what I was doing. After all, what kind of guild master doesn't know what's happening in his own guild!"

Aodhan balked. "No...that's not... I didn't know!"

"Sure you didn't," Guise said, his voice becoming steadily more and more confident. "You knew what was going on and you know it! You just ignored it because you wanted to win. To prove that your guild was the strongest! In truth, you'd do anything to be the best!"

"No...that's not..." Doubt and confusion flickered past his angry expression. Guise saw this and grinned.

"See, you can't even deny it!" Guise turned towards Spire and Landon and grinned evilly at the duo. "See that boys, your own father willing allowed this to happen. He cares more about winning than he does you own lives!"

"No!" Aodhan yelled, turning to face his children. "I would never have allowed this, had I known! I swear!"

"Really?" Guise crooned, floating closer to Aodhan. "Can you truly say that after how you've acted? Face it, you just wanted to win so badly that you looked past what was happening to them. Or, did you know and decide that you didn't care."

"No, I-"

"Stop lying to yourself, _master_ ," Guise purred. "Face it, you're just like me."

Aodhan looked lost. His anger was fading away and being replaced by guilt and self doubt. Guise's words creeped into his mind, making him doubt his own emotions. _Is he right?_ Aodhan asked himself. _Did my desire for winning make me blind? Did I truly bring this on? Did I cause my guild this pain and disgrace?_

Guise grinned sinisterly, creeping up behind the Charizard. "That's right, you caused this," he said, shadowy energy swarming around his hand, forming a claw. "All of this is because of you."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Both Aodhan and Guise froze at Spire's shout. "You're not like that," Spire continued. "You didn't cause any of this, Dad."

"Spire..." Aodhan whispered, gobsmacked.

"He's right," Landon added, getting to his feet. "None of this is your fault. The only one who's at fault is Guise. He did this, not you."

"Landon..." Aodhan said.

"Yeah! It's that bastard's fault!" Spire agreed, getting to his feet. "He's the one that hurt us, not you, so stop beating yourself up about it! Neither of us blame you."

"Spire, Landon... Both of you." Aodhan bowed his head, smiling slightly.

"Do you really believe that?!" Guise snapped, his voice gaining a panicked edge. "You're just as responsible as I am. You allowed this to happen!"

"Don't listen to him father," Landon said, standing next to his brother. "We know you, you'd never do this."

"What he said," Spire said. "You may be a jackass most of the time, but you'd never harm your guild willingly!"

"O-Oh? Is that supposed to make him feel better?" Guise questioned, struggling to regain some semblance of control. He then flew into the air, his diving towards the guild master with his shadow claw aimed at Aodhan's neck. "Cheap words won't change what he's done! He's still responsible!"

Just as Guise's claw was about to make contact, Aodhan ripped around and grabbed Guise's extended arm. Guise gave an undignified yelp at the sudden movement. Aodhan's head then twists around and pins Guise with a deadly glare.

"You're right," he said, "I am responsible. And because of that, I will be the one to put you down!" With that, Aodhan smashed another thunder punch into Guise's face.

Guise was sent back, reeling in pain and clutching his face. He lowered his hands, his red eyes glowing with hatred. "You'll back for that!" Guise raised his hands, and fired a barrage of shadow balls at Aodhan.

The Charizard watched the balls of ghostly energy impassively. As the attack drew nearer, his wings took on a white light before beginning to bat each shadow ball away with several flaps of his wings.

Guise's face became panicked at the almost lazy dismissal of his attack. He responded by firing more shadow balls at the Charizard in hopes to overwhelm the fire-flying type. Unfortunately for him, Aodhan was too fast. He continued to deflect each attack with apparent ease.

"Just die already!" Guise shouted. He formed a larger shadow ball and hurled it at Aodhan.

The attack flew at the Charizard at faster speeds than the others. The attack passed through Aodhan's guard and exploded against Aodhan's face.

"Father/Dad!" Spire and Landon shouted out in tandem as smoke engulfed their father's form.

"Hehe...HAHAHAHAHA!" Guise cackled madly. "How's that, Aodhan?! Where's all that big talk about 'putting me down'?"

He continued to laugh as the smoke began to clear. His laugh faltered when Aodhan could be seen standing perfectly fine other than his head being pushed to the side. Guise began to sweat as Aodhan's glared at him through the corner of his eye.

"H-How?" Guise gasped.

"Did you really think that would work," Aodhan questioned, turning to face Guise fully. He then extended his wings and roared, "I AM THE MASTER OF MY GUILD AND I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM ANY OF MY SUBORDINATES!"

Aodhan opened his mouth a released a powerful flamethrower at the ghost. Guise cried out in alarm and fear. He tried to jump out of the way, but the flames still glanced his back, causing searing pain. He tried to siphon energy from the unconscious guild members, but was stopped when Aodhan slammed into him with a wing attack.

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH ANY OF THEM AGAIN!" Aodhan roared.

Guise stared at the Charizard in fear. "N-No, please," he whimpered in fear. "Have mercy!"

"You should know this by now, Guise," Aodhan growled, grinning darkly. "There is no mercy in my guild!"

At that, Guise yelled in fear and tried to fly away, but Aodhan never gave him the chance. "This ends now!" he roared before releasing a powerful overheat at the fleeing ghost.

The flames spewed from the Charizard's mouth with more intensity than his previous flamethrower. The red hot flames raced towards Guise who turned just as the flames were upon him. Guise screamed in fear and pain as he was engulfed by the flames.

Aodhan cut the flames off from his attack, allowing Guise to fall to the ground, charred and unconscious. Along with the smoke curling from his form, thick wisps of shadows began to leak from his body, returning his body to its original color. There was a flash of red light and Guise was soon back to his original state.

Aodhan snorted, smoke leaving his nostrils. "Serves you right."

"Dad..." The elder Charizard turned at the sound of his son's voice.

"Spire," he murmured. "Landon... I am so sorry. I never-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Landon interrupted, a small smile making its way on his face. "We know that you'd never knowingly put us through that."

"Guise was full of Tauros crap, so don't believe a words he said!" Spire added. "You're a good guild master and an awesome father. You'd never betray us."

"Boys..." Aodhan choked out, tears glistening in his eyes. He frantically swiped at them, putting on a half-hearted scowl. "Enough of this mushy crap!" he suddenly shouted, turning towards the city where the sounds of fighting could still be heard. "Wake those lazy good-for-nothings up! We still have a battle to win."

The two younger Charizard glanced at each other and grinned. "Aye, aye, Guildmaster!"

Spire stomped over to his still unconscious teammates and kicked them none too gently. "Wake up you lazy bums!" he shouted. "We've still got a city to save!"

The all groaned in response, but got up none the less. "Ugh, what happened," Oceanus groaned, shaking his massive head.

"I feel like a Snorlax sat on me," Dire muttered, placing a paw on his head.

"Look alive men!" Aodhan shouted, causing all of them to stand at attention. "And woman," he added glancing at Malum.

"Guildmaster Charizard!" Malum yelped in surprise.

"You've all been resting long enough," he growled, pointedly ignoring the Zoroark's question. "The city's burning around us and you slacker's are sleeping on the job?!"

"N-No sir!" Oceanus, Malum, and Dire all shouted in unison.

"Then get off your asses and make something of yourselves!"

"Yes, sir!" they shouted, this time Spire and Landon joining in as well.

"Then let's show them what Charizard's Guild is made of!" Aodhan roared, releasing a flamethrower into the sky.

"RAAH!" the all shouted in unison, joining their guild master as he charged deeper into the city.

-Legend-

"Yoom-tah~!" Emrys shouted as he danced away from another attack from Zygarde. "That was a close one~!"

The dragon-ground type growled angrily before slamming its foot against the ground, sending a shockwave towards the elusive normal-fairy type. Emrys' eyes seemed to glimmer in excitement as the attack barreled towards him. Instead of dodging the attack, he inhaled deeply and released a deafening "YOOM-TAH!" and a visible blast of sound waves erupted from his mouth.

The two attacks raced towards the other before smashing into one another with such force that a large crater was carved into the ground where they met. The shockwave and sound waves pushed against the other for dominance, but, where Zygarde's attack was a single burst, Emrys' was a constant blast of sound, fueled by the Wigglytuff's own lungs. Soon, Emrys' hyper voice shattered through Zygarde's bulldoze and continued on its path towards the legendary, giving Zygarde barely enough time to bring up a safeguard shield. However, despite the shield, the force of the hyper voice was enough to push Zygarde back, a feet that not only shocked DJ and Wave, but Zygarde as well.

"He pushed that thing back?!" DJ gaped like a Magikarp out of water.

"That's our guild master," Clef boasted as if he were the one fighting. "No one can beat him!"

"Whoa," Wave mumbled. "Something tells me he went easy on me and Blaze during our graduation exam."

"Of course he did!" Clef exclaimed, glaring at the Empoleon. "If he didn't, no one would ever graduate!"

Wave sweat-dropped. He opened his beak to say something, but was drowned out by a sudden roar of anger. " **You are trying our patience!** " Zygarde roared, striking out and kicking Emrys dead on.

The trio of onlookers all cried out in shock and horror as the Wigglytuff was thrown like a rag doll across the street. Their looks of horror were then replaced by looks of shocked confusion as the pink Pokémon seemed to grow in mass. Along with this sudden growth, the guild master's momentum began to slow until he was simply _floating_ to the ground.

The moment the Wigglytuff's feet touched the ground he released a large breath of air, deflating like a balloon. "Ooo! That was a strong kick!" he exclaimed appraisingly. "You're really strong."

While Emrys meant this as a compliment, Zygarde did not see it as such. " **Are you so arrogant as to goad your opponent in while fighting?** " he growled. " **Do you believe you capable of defeating us with simple taunts?** "

"Nope~!" Emrys chirped happily. "I'm gonna beat you like this!"

Before Zygarde could question this, Emrys launched towards the behemoth with startling speeds for such a cartoonish looking Pokémon. Before Zygarde could react, Emrys was right in its face and preceded to punch and kick at the legendary's head. The speed of Emrys' assault was to the point where a comical dust cloud formed around Emrys and Zygarde's head, obscuring them from view. All the while, Zygarde was screeching in pain.

The dust cloud faded and Zygarde gave one final shout of pain before falling backwards, the ground quaking under the Zygarde's fall. Emrys, on the other hand, descended daintily, going as far as doing a little twirl.

"See?" he said, not a hint of superiority or condescension in his voice. He just sounded as if he were stating a fact.

Zygarde groaned angrily, pushing itself to its feet and glaring hatefully at the Wigglytuff. With a flare of its wings, it took flight, soaring high into the air and glaring down at the Wigglytuff. With a roar, its chest mouth opened up. Energy swelled within the chest cavity, but instead of a large beam of energy, around a thousand arrows of red energy burst out from its chest and rained down upon the ground below it.

Emrys smiled brightly at the new attack and was about to dodge, but noticed that the arrows were also falling towards DJ, Wave, and Clef. Without even thinking, he jumped in front of the trio and faced the attack head on.

"G-Guildmaster!" Wave cried in shock.

"Don't worry, friends," he said, his voice still happy as he stared down the storm of arrows racing towards them. "I'll handle this."

Before any of them could state their disapproval, the arrows were upon them. Not wasting a beat, Emrys began swinging his arms at incredible speeds. As the attack came in range, much to the shock of those behind him, Emrys began to slap the arrows out of the air and away from the quartet.

With astonishing speed and strength, Emrys deflected each and every arrow that sought to harm him and those behind him. Once the attack ended, the ground all around them was littered with hundreds of holes that were each close to six feet deep. Emrys surveyed the damage with a look of surprise on his face. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "What an attack!"

" **How is this possible?** " Zygarde asked, more to itself than Emrys. " **How does one such as yourself hold such power?** "

"I don't know!" Emrys replied happily, dancing in place. "I've always been this strong~!"

DJ face faulted at that. "Is this guy serious?!" he shouted.

"That's our guild master," Wave said sheepishly, a sweat-drop rolling down the side of his face.

" **That...that makes no sense!** " Zygarde suddenly shouted. " **That explanation give no insight to your level of strength or endurance!** "

"Sorry," Emrys apologized unapologetically. "That's the only explanation I have~!"

"That wasn't even an explanation!" DJ shouted.

Zygarde roared in anger, before dive bombing the Wigglytuff. With a cry of joy, Emrys leapt into the air to meet him. Curling into a ball, Emrys began to spin like a bowling ball, his momentum seeming to increase as he raced towards the legendary. Before Zygarde knew what was happening, Emrys had already slammed into his stomach. Roaring in pain, Zygarde was flung back and slammed into the ground once more.

Emrys landed on the ground and smiled brightly at the Zygarde. "That was careless of you~" he said. "You left yourself wide open!"

" **Damn you,** " Zygarde growled, once more getting to its feet. " **Who do you think you are to go against us? We are the bringers of change!** "

"Change..." Emrys mumbled, looking pensive. He then smiled brightly up at the much larger Pokémon. "Nope~! Don't want it!"

Zygarde was taken aback by Emrys' statement. " **Pardon?** "

"I don't want things to change," Emrys repeated. "I like how things are now, with my friends~! If things were to change, I might not be able to spend time with my friends like I do now, so I don't want things to change!"

Zygarde was silent for a while, appearing to contemplate Emrys' words. After a while, he spoke. " **It matters not what you want. The change shall come and you cannot change that.** "

Zygarde flew into the air again and surveyed everything below it. " **You are strong, that much we are willing to admit, but how will that strength fair when it is not just you in danger.** "

At that, its chest opened up and Zygarde a very familiar glow of energy began to build up to a critical mass. "It's that move from before!" DJ shouted.

"It's a lot stronger than last time though!" Wave grit his teeth. "If that hits, he'll destroy half the city with it!"

" **That is the idea,** " Zygarde droned having heard them. **"We bid you farewell.** "

With that, Zygarde released its built up energy and a blast of energy, three times the size as the one it had attacked DJ and Wave with, bellowed towards the earth. Seeing the danger, Emrys took a deep breath and unleashed a massive hyper voice at the beam. The two attacks collided several feet from the group, stopping the beam cold. The two battled for dominance, but neither Pokémon seemed to be gaining an advantage.

"That's low!" Wave snarled, pushing himself to a sitting position. "It was supposed to be a one on one fight and your bringing everyone into it! Where's the honor?!"

" **Whether or not we seen honorable matters not to us,** " Zygarde droned, not letting up his attack. " **For this change to take place, all that stand in our way must fall by whatever means necessary. We shall destroy not only you, but all of your** _ **guilds**_ **until there are none that will stand in our way.** "

At Zygarde's words, a sharp glint flickered in Emrys' eye. With new vigor, Emrys increased the volume and power of his attack. Slowly, the hyper voice began to push the attack back.

" **What?!** " Zygarde shouted in shock. " **How is this possible?!** "

Zygarde tried to add more power to its attack, but Emrys' hyper voice was too powerful. The sound waves pushed back the energy blast until the attack exploded against the legendary. The redirected blast coupled with Emrys' own hyper voice exploded violently against the Zygarde, creating a large billowing cloud of smoke.

The smoke slowly began to blow away, revealing a slightly smoking Zygarde. Still in the air, Zygarde floated, albeit shakily, above the group, appearing haggard. " **How is this possible?** " he asked aloud. " **How could we be defeated...by...ins..ects...** "

"You lost because of your own arrogance," Emrys said, suddenly serious. "You spent the whole battle acting as if everyone was below you to the point where you didn't realize you were losing and when you figured it out, you resorted to attacking everyone in hopes of destroying everything, burying your loss under rubble. However, I cannot abide by such tactics."

Emrys' eyes locked onto Zygarde's, causing the legendary to involuntarily shiver from the intensity behind the Wigglytuff's teal gaze. "Resorting to such underhand tactics in order to save face is deplorable and I could not find it in myself to play along with one that would resort to such acts," Emrys continued, his gaze never wavering. "As such, I decided to end the battle here."

" **Play...around?** " Zygarde echoed. " **You were... You were holding back against us this entire time?** "

Emrys remained silent, but that was all Zygarde needed to guess the truth. Its head bowed and its flight faltered slightly before it regained its balance in the air. " **We see... You had already won before the battle even began.** " Zygarde faltered again, falling a few feet before catching itself. Even then, however, its form was teetering haphazardly in the air. With that last of its strength it raised its head one more time, its gaze finding Emrys. " **You are a strange one, Emrys, guild master of Wigglytuff's Guild, but you are strong, stronger than us.** "

The glow in Zygarde's eyes seemed to dim and its red glow diminished. As if turned off, Zygarde pitched forward and fell from the sky towards the ground. Just before the massive creature hit, its final words could be heard. " **I thank you for freeing us.** "

With a thunderous crash, the legendary crashed to the ground, finally defeated. The dark energy that encompassed it and the rest of the darkened Pokémon seeped from its form, the legendary's color to revert from red and black to green and black.

"Dude..." DJ said to Wave. "Your guild master just beat a legendary by himself."

"That he did," Clef boasted before Wave could say anything. "Just goes to show you not to judge a book by its cover."

"Riiiight," DJ said, watching as the Wigglytuff began to dance.

"La~la~la!" Emrys sang happily. "That was fun, but you shouldn't have threatened my friends. That makes me mad!" He then turned around, looking at the city. "Looks like the other guild masters are finishing up the attacking force."

"We best join them!" Clef squawked. Turning to DJ and Wave, he asked, "Are you two up for it?"

"Sure thing," DJ said, getting to his feet, wincing slightly in pain. "I've sat by long enough!"

"I agree with that," Wave said, getting to his feet as well. He gave their previous enemy a sideways glance. "What about...it?"

"Don't worry about him~" Emrys replied, speaking as if the destructive force that was Zygarde was nothing more than a sleeping Growlithe. "He'll be right as rain when he wakes up!"

"If you say so..." Wave said uncertainly. "Then let's get this done."

"Yay~!" Emrys squealed happily, pumping his fist into the air. "Let's save the city! YOOM-TAH!"


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

An Old Friend

A week after the events at the Gilded City found Tobias seated at his desk. With his fingers steepled and his forehead resting against his hands. Dark circles were evident on his face, a testament to the Gallade's fatigue. His entire form was sagging into his chair, almost to the point where he was slouching, but he still kept some composure. With a sigh, Tobias lifted his head and gazed down at the exploration badge on his desk.

"What is the total damage from the city?" he asked aloud.

" _There were thankfully no casualties,_ " Plates voice rang out from the badge. " _Many were injured, but thankfully, with the assistance of the guild masters, it could have been much worse._ "

"And to the actual city?" Tobias questioned.

" _Extensive,_ " Plate replied grimly. " _Almost eighty percent of the city was destroyed in the attack. If I had to give an estimate, it will take close to a decade for the city to return to its original glory._ "

"I figured as much," Tobias muttered.

" _That's not all,_ " Plate continued. " _Since the attack, reports have been flooding in of other attacks, led by legendaries._ "

That got Tobias' attention. "What?!"

" _It's happening all over,_ " Plate said. " _The Forces of Nature were reported to have demolished a town, Heatran is reported to have triggered the eruption of a dormant volcano, the Eon Twins are_ believed _to have been attacking travelers near Twist Mountain, not that there have been any confirmed sighting since they move so fast, but you get the picture._ "

"This is happening faster than I had anticipated," Tobias said, barely concealing a grown. "Veil said that these attacks would come, but I never imagined that it would be so soon."

" _Speaking of, as it turns out, many of the Pokémon that attacked the city were under some kind of mind control,_ " Plate said. " _Once they were defeated, a dark mist seemed to float out of their bodies. When they woke up, the majority of them had no idea of what happened or what they had done._ "

"I expected as much. Two of my own teams were affected by whatever that mist was, though one of them was in complete control," Tobias said, remembering the borderline delusional rantings of Veil when he came to. It became apparent that not even his teammates knew of the Sableye's plans, or how insane he was for that matter. "Have there been any reports about these darkened Pokémon being sighted?"

" _Unfortunately, or fortunately, no. The biggest concern seems to be the legendary sightings._ "

"Have teams been deployed to confront them?"

" _As a matter of fact, yes. Several teams have been sent to confront the legendaries with varying success. If I recall correctly, Emrys has already dispatched his members to deal with the Lake Guardians and Dialga and Palkia._ "

"Of course he did," Tobias said, chuckling despite himself. "After all, Emrys was the one that found them during one of his famous expeditions."

" _Actually, I think they only found Uxie during one. The other four were discovered by two members of his guild,_ " Plate pointed out.

Tobias rolled his eyes, but chose not to address it. "What about the other legendaries?"

" _Well, I believe Echo was in contact with a team from a place called Paradise and they went to confront Kyurem. I believe one of them said something along the lines of 'Again? Seriously?!', or something like that,_ " Plate reported. " _The Expedition Society also reported having dealt with the Legendary Beasts and are planing on facing Xerneas and Yveltal._ "

"So Jolt is getting involved as well," Tobias mused. "I can't say I'm surprised, however. Despite his clumsiness and lack of directional skills, he has always been one to act against a threat. Any sign of the Weather Trio?"

" _Not since the bizarre weather we had about a month ago,_ " Plate replied. " _However, if they are truly suffering from whatever this is, then it's only a matter of time._ "

"Then we'll have to be ready for then," Tobias sighed tiredly. "Their ability to control the weather could be devastating."

" _I wish I knew what was causing this,_ " Plate sighed.

"I have a theory," Tobias stated. "According to one of my own, he fought a Pokémon with a similar affliction and I'm afraid the way he obtained this...power is more terrifying than the legendaries themselves."

" _What was it?_ "

"A dark well."

Plate cursed on the other end. " _Are you sure?_ " he questioned, panic edging into his voice. " _As in, a hundred percent sure?_ "

"Unfortunately, I am," Tobias answered grimly. "The Pokémon in question was reported to have stepped into the dark well that had activated and stepped out as a darker version of himself."

" _So you believe that this crisis is because of the dark wells?_ " Plate asked fearfully.

"It's only a theory, but I believe so," Tobias responded grimly.

" _This isn't good,_ " Plate said, his anxiety clear in his voice. " _What should we do? If the dark well activate..._ "

"It would be the dawn of a new era of darkness," Tobias finished, Veil's words echoing in his head. "Our best course of action is to send teams out to check on the wells. If they are indeed being tampered with, then we must act swiftly."

" _Then I will alert the other guild masters,_ " Plate spoke, sounded slightly distracted, no doubt from the gravity of the situation. " _There is a dark well near your guild, is there not?_ "

"There was two," Tobias corrected. "Though one was destroyed a few months ago."

" _Seriously?!_ " Plate exclaimed, causing Tobias to wince at the volume.

"Yes, seriously," Tobias said, rubbing his eyes. "That's why I sent the one that had a hand, or rather paw, in its destruction along with a few others."

-Legend-

"So, again, _why_ are we going to a dark well?" Katara asked.

"Because we are checking to see if they have been tampered with in anyway," Alistair answered. "In light of the events at the Gilded City, my father believes that the dark wells are involved in some way."

"I sure hope not," DJ said, crossing his arms. "We had enough trouble with just one before!"

"We can only hope," Leaf said.

"But why are you here, Alistair?" Katara questioned the older Lucario.

"Because, the Pokémon we're meeting up with is an old friend from my Team SATE years," Alistair answered.

"Really? Who?" Katara asked curiously.

"You'll see," Alistair said slyly. "Ah, looks like we're here."

Alistair pointed ahead, alerting the trio that they had just arrived at a small town. Much like many smaller towns, there were dirt trails that branched off into the town. Small cobble dwellings dotted the landscape along with beautiful gardens and crop fields.

"Welcome to Flint."

"Um, _why_ are we here?" DJ asked. "I thought we were going to a dark well."

"We are, but this is where we're meet my contact," Alistair answered. "Plus, we'll have to stay the night and, I don't know about you, but I don't want to camp out near that thing."

"Well, no, but-"

"Come on, we don't want to keep them waiting," Alistair said as he trotted into the town, forcing the trio to run in order to catch up.

As they entered, the trio noted that the town was rather subdued. Pokémon walked around and conversed, but they seemed as if they were on edge. Like they were all expecting something to happen. DJ noticed this almost immediately thanks to his emotion sense, and he was quick to point this out. "What's with the atmosphere here?"

"Well, what'd you expect?" Alistair questioned rhetorically. "The town's located close to a dark well and, even if it's not active, they all spew a negative aura. Even if the inhabitants can't sense it like me or you, they are subconsciously aware of it."

"Now that you mention it," Katara jumped in, glancing around, "it does feel a little off here. Like something bad is about to happen."

Alistair nodded in affirmation. "It is that feeling that causes wild and evil Pokémon alike to flock to the town, drawn in by the dark well's negative aura. That's why my friend is stationed here: to make sure that no harm comes to the town."

"That is a noble role," Leaf commented. "Especially due to the fact that there are no guilds in close proximity. To handle such enemies alone is a testament to their strength."

"Aww, well aren't you the little charmer," a feminine voice gushed from behind the group. Turning towards the voice they were greeted by a Pokémon that looked eerily similar to Tobias, yet a lot more feminine. Unlike a Gallade, the figure had light green hair instead of a blue fin on its head. Her legs were also a lot thinner and daintier with a white dress-like covering shielding them. Her arms had no blades and were a bit slimmer than a Gallade's.

The figure smirked at the quartet in what could be considered a seductive manner if not for the warmth in the figure's eyes. She looked over the group, her gaze stopping on Alistair. Her smirk turned to a full blown smile as recognition shone in her gaze. "Well as I live and breathe," she said, walking over and hugging the Lucario. "Alistair! It's so good to see you!"

"And you, Ester," Alistair said, happily returning the hug.

"Wait, Ester..." Katara's face scrunched in thought as the name sounded familiar. Her eyes went wide as the name finally clicked. "You're one of the members of Team SATE!"

Both DJ and Leaf's eyes widened at Katara's shout while the older Pokémon chuckled. "That's me," the now identified Ester giggled. "I take it your Surge's daughter."

"Y-Yes!" Katara squeaked.

"You've gotten so big!" the Gardevoir gushed. "Last time I saw you you were just an egg!" Katara flushed brightly, spluttering in response. The Gardevoir then turned his attention to DJ. "And you must be DJ."

DJ's eyes widened in surprise. "You know me?"

"Yep, Alistair gushes about you in his letters," she chuckled, ignoring or just not noticing Alistair's blush. She then turned to the final member of the group. "I'm sorry, but I don't know you."

"I am called Leaf," the Grovyle said, bowing in greeting.

"Well it's nice to meet you. All of you," Ester said, smiling benignly at the group. "Tobias sent a message telling me why you're here. I take it you want to see the dark well now."

"If you don't mind showing us," Alistair said slyly.

"Oh?" Ester asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I'm sure I could take time out of my busy schedule to escort you, but what do I get in return?" she asked, stepping closer to the Lucario.

"What ever you want," Alistair said with a wide grin.

"Uh, should we leave?" DJ asked tentatively, snapping the duo back to the present.

"Oh! N-No, it's fine," Ester said, both her and Alistair blushing hotly. "L-Let's go!"

-Legend-

The group followed Ester as she led them through the city, pointing out some of her favorite restaurants and shops. As she did so, she received many greetings and enthusiastic waves from the inhabitants of Flint, the tension and unease they were feeling from the dark well momentarily leaving them. It was clear that Ester was well liked among the citizens whether from her protection, they did not know. DJ did note that Alistair's aura would spike whenever he saw a male waving to Ester, something that amused the younger Lucario to no end.

 _I am so messing with him when we get back,_ DJ thought gleefully.

Ester soon guided the group out of the city and down a path that cut through an open field. "Be careful everyone," Ester said. "While no dungeon has formed around this dark well, it does attract wild Pokémon. They shouldn't attack us but be on your guard just in case."

"Why do the dark wells attract wild Pokémon?" Katara asked curiously.

Ester thought for a second. "Well, as you know, wild or feral Pokémon are more or less the same as me or you. They can use moves and fight just like normal sentient Pokémon, they are just more in tune with their instincts than we are. It's those instincts that draw them towards the dark wells. Their negative energy is like honey for Combee."

"Is that also why evil Pokémon are attracted to them?" DJ asked.

"Somewhat, yes," Ester responded slowly. "Again, the negative energy that the wells give off attract wild Pokémon, typically the more aggressive ones. I would assume that, on a subconscious level, Pokémon with malicious or dark intent and thoughts are drawn to the wells the same way wild Pokémon are."

DJ nodded, satisfied by the answer. The group pressed on through the field, watching carefully for any movement in the tall grass. They occasionally saw rustling through the grass that was not caused by the wind and DJ swore he saw brown fur shifting through the grass. Even so, nothing leapt at the group or made itself known. They continued along the path for another few minutes then everything changed.

It was almost as if they stepped into a completely different area. The grass that had once been green and thriving was now a dark brown, wilting and bowing to the ground. Even the dirt path suddenly became dry and cracked, almost like firmly packed sand. The atmosphere took on an oppressive air as well. The air became thick with negative gloom, so much so that both DJ and Alistair involuntarily shivered.

"That's the dark well you're feeling," Ester said, seeing the two Lucario.

"It's so much more potent than in the town," DJ said, shaking off his goosebumps.

"That's only natural," Ester responded. "The dark well constantly spews out dark and morose aura. It stands to reason that the closer you get to the source, the more you will feel." She sent the younger Lucario a concerned look. "Are you sure you want to press on? I know you Lucario are incredibly sensitive to this kind of aura. Even more so than my own evolution line."

"I'm fine," DJ reassured with a weak smile. "It just caught me off guard."

Ester still did not look convinced, but relented. "If you're sure..."

With a strong nod fro DJ, the group pushed forward once more. True to Ester's word, with every step they took, the oppressing aura intensified to the point where it literally felt as if they were wading through water to DJ. He never experienced such energy, not even when he fought against Luke _next_ to a dark well, though this may have been due to the adrenaline over fighting the other former human.

DJ stumbled slightly as he felt a pulse of the negative energy rush past him. Glancing up he saw that no one else had reacted to it. Frowning, he was about to mention it when Ester spoke. "We're here."

Shifting out of the way, Ester exposed a well made from what appeared to be a dark blue stone. The well was old, incredibly so, if the weeds creeping up the sides of the stone structure were any indication. All in all, it would look like a normal well had it not been for the almost palpable aura emanating from it.

"Is...is that it?" Katara asked hesitantly.

Ester opened her mouth to answer, but DJ beat her to it. "Yes, that's a dark well."

Ester gave the Lucario an appraising look. "How would you know that?"

"It looks like the one that I destroyed," DJ responded listlessly, earning a wide-eyed look from the Gardevoir.

"What?! You _destroyed_ a dark well?!" she shouted, getting right in DJ's face. "That's supposed to be impossible! How'd it happen?!"

"I-It happened when we were stopping one of them from activating!" DJ squeaked, startled by the Gardevoir's sudden burst of emotion.

Ester frowned at that before looking over to Alistair. "The dark well activating... That was what you were talking about several months ago. With...Luke."

"That's right," Alistair said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Oh Luke..." Ester bemoaned.

The members of Team Stardust stood around awkwardly as the two ex-exploration members allowed themselves a moment to grieve for their former friend. After a couple minutes of silence, Alistair was the first to come out of his thoughts. "Okay, let's get this done."

"Right," Ester said as she brushed a stray tear from her eye. She took a deep breath and steeled herself with a blank look. She then stepped forward towards the well, shivering as she did so, and glanced down the tunnel. "I'm not seeing anything. Then again, I have no idea what I'd be looking for."

"Well, considering that the last one that was active was releasing a perpetual beam of dark energy into the sky, I would say any sign of energy build up," Alistair said, moving to stand next to the Gardevoir.

The remaining trio walked forward to look themselves when DJ felt another burst of negative energy rush past him. He froze on the spot, alerting his friends. "DJ?" Katara asked worriedly, feeling the unease DJ was feeling.

"Did any of you feel that?" DJ questioned.

"Feel what?" Alistair asked, turning around.

"It was like...a blast of negative energy raced past me," DJ said uncertainly.

"You're probably just feeling the effects of the dark well," Ester soothed.

"But it felt different than what I'm feeling now," DJ argued. "It felt more intense and it was brief like...like a burst!"

"DJ," Alistair said slowly. " _I_ didn't feel anything. Do you think that you may have imagined it?"

"I... Maybe? I don't know." The former human's shoulder's slumped in defeat. "I guess all this negative energy is getting to me."

"Then I suggest we head back," Alistair said. "There's nothing more to be found here."

They all nodded in agreement and began the trek back to Flint. Part way through, DJ stopped and glanced back at the well. Shaking his head, he chalked up the unease he was feeling as a result from the dark well's effect and ran to catch up with his group.

-Legend-

Night had swiftly fallen over the town of Flint. Ester had graciously offered to house the quartet until the left the following morning. Currently, the group plus Ester were all sitting in the psychic-fairy type's living room, listening as the two older Pokémon regaled the younger trio with tales of their time as an exploration team.

"...and then, Alistair fell into a nest of wild Stunky!" Ester chuckled. "We had him sleep outside the guild house for almost a whole week!"

They all laughed at the elder Lucario's expense. Alistair himself chuckled good-naturedly, though he had a bright blush on his face. "Okay, okay. That's enough of that," he said.

"Fine, you big Togepi," Ester teased.

"Hey now!" Alistair growled with faux anger.

"Wow, who would have thought that Team SATE was just as goofy as the rest of us!" Katara laughed.

"I'm pretty sure every team has their moments," Alistair chuckled sheepishly.

"And those moments were by far the best," Ester reminisced with a sigh. "I admit, I do miss it."

"Why'd you guys break up if you liked it so much?" Katara asked curiously.

And just like that, the happy atmosphere died. The tense and oppressive energy that constantly wafted through the town found its way into the room. Both Alistair and Ester's moods plummeted, their heads bowing ever so slightly as mirroring melancholy expressions found their way onto their faces.

"It's...not something that I like to think about," Ester said after a little while.

"Oh!" Katara exclaimed. "I'm sorry! You don't have to tell-"

"No, no. It's fine," Alistair assured. "It's just...difficult at times. We had been a team for almost twenty years when it happened. We had already ascended to the highest ranking at our old guild. We were popular, icons and to the other teams. Many of the younger teams would come up to us and ask for advice on an almost regular basis."

"And who were we to say no?" Ester jumped in, smiling wistfully at her memories. "We were an exploration team. We existed _to_ help others. So who were we to turn away from a former human with no memory."

"Luke..." DJ whispered.

Alistair nodded. "We saw him as someone who needed our help, so we gave it."

"And he betrayed you," Leaf said bluntly.

"It didn't happen immediately," Ester said. "For a while...it was like having a kid with us. Just...following us around like a puppy. We grew attached to him."

"We trained him, treated him like one of us," Alistair continued. "He _was_ one of us. Then he unlocked it."

"It?" Katara asked.

"His primal aura," DJ supplied.

"Hmm," Alistair hummed in assent.

"When he first activated it, he went on a rampage," Ester said, gazing at her hands. "We thought that, if he could control it, not only would he be cognitive when using it, but it could also be an incredible asset in battle. But he soon grew addicted to the power to the point where he would only focus on getting stronger and stronger, regardless of who he hurt."

"We were horrified that he was becoming someone we didn't recognize," Alistair continued. "It got to the point where we had to step in. We tried to reason with him, to convince him to forgo this...path he on, but he refused."

"Wh-What happened?" Katara asked hesitantly.

"We had no choice," Alistair said, his voice empty. "He was causing harm to other Pokémon. Innocent Pokémon. We had no choice. He had to be dealt with."

The room fell into silence. The three from Team Stardust were all stunned into silence over the information that they were given. They, or rather DJ, knew that there was some kind of fallout brought on by Luke's primal aura, but never would he have imagined that it ended the way that they were describing.

"It hurt," Ester suddenly said. "Having to...fight someone that we trained. It felt like we were attacking ourselves, but it had to be done. We beat him, even with Luke using his primal aura, and he ran. We tried to move past it, but it was like something in our dynamic just...didn't click anymore and, a few weeks later, we broke up and we went on our separate ways."

"We still kept in contact," Alistair added, "but it hurt too much to stay together."

"What..." Katara spoke hesitantly after a few seconds of silence, "What caused him to use his primal aura the first time?"

Alistair thought for a moment. "We were...apprehending an outlaw..." he began. "It was a Scizor I believe."

"No, it was a Gliscor," Ester corrected.

"Right," Alistair acknowledged. "We had him cornered, but he managed to hurt Luke, badly, and he just...snapped."

"After he calmed down, he wasn't the same," Ester said. "He started becoming distant, even as we worked with him to control that power." She paused. "Now that I think about it, that mission was around here, wasn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, I think that's right. It was here," Alistair agreed.

"Wait, it was here?" DJ questioned, suddenly alert.

"Yes?" Ester said, curious of why DJ was asking. "Why?"

DJ did not answer at first, his mind racing. "What if... What if the dark well had some kind of influence on him," he theorized. "You said it yourself, the dark well is constantly releasing negative aura. In his primal state, his mindset is basically that of a wild Pokémon. It would make sense if he was affected in some way."

"That's a good point," Ester said, suddenly thoughtful. "The dark well could have had some kind of affect on him."

"They are supposed to bring out the inner darkness of any Pokémon when they are activated," Alistair mused before becoming sullen once more. "Not that it does us any good now. Even then, there was nothing we could have done. Luke was too far gone."

"For these dark wells to hold such power over Pokémon..." Leaf murmured. "Why do such constructs exist? What is there purpose."

"No one truly knows," Ester replied. "It is rumored that, long ago, all of the world's the dark inhibitions and malicious intent began to build and build. Wars broke out, lives were lost, the world fell into chaos. It became so bad that Arceus, the father of this world, came down and banished these dark emotions from Pokémon and sealed it deep within the earth. The dark wells served as corks if you will that function to keep that darkness buried deep within the earth."

"So it's that darkness that we saw when that dark well activated," DJ reasoned.

"If the myth is true, yes," Ester said.

"I guess that means dark wells aren't some evil creation like we thought," Katara commented.

"No, they are keeping the darkness trapped," Alistair said, crossing his arms. "That's why we need to make sure that these wells are not activated, or rather opened."

"All of the world's darkness," DJ mused. "If all of that is released, it could mean catastrophe."

Just as he said that, an explosion rocked the house.

"What the hell was that?!" Katara shouted.

Another explosion shook the house followed by the sounds of Pokémon screaming. Instantly, the the ex and current exploration members jumped to their feet. "Let's go!"

Without further prompting, the all rushed out of the house and into the chaos.

-Legend-

The second they stepped into the city, the screaming intensified. Pokémon were running all direction, fires chasing them down as they burned their homes.

"Oh, no," Ester gaped before rushing off to assist the town.

"Ester, wait!" Alistair called, but Ester ignored him. He cursed and turned to the younger trio. "Come on!"

Before they could even take a step in the direction Ester ran off in, a beam of purple energy cut through the air and slammed into the ground just in front of them. The quartet instinctively leapt back to avoid the explosion that tore through the area, and looked around wildly for the cause of the attack. They did not have to look far as a series of robotic beeping came from behind the smoke.

Bursting through the smoke, floating almost languidly, was a large crystalline golem. The entire form of the creature appeared to be made up of some dark purple crystal, its legs a conical shape and its arms cylindrical arms with three fingers on each. Four spike protruded from its back and seven red dots formed a '+' on its face. As it drew closer, the group felt the air grow colder, like a sharp gust of winter wind.

"That's Regice!" Alistair exclaimed in surprise, his eyes narrowing. "It's been darkened."

"So it's a legendary," DJ said, tensing. "Why's it here?"

Alistair frowned for a second before his eyes widened in realization. He growled angrily, forming a glowing bone in his paws. "It's after the dark well!"

The trio from Team Stardust's eyes widened. "You mean they're being drawn to it like wild Pokémon?" Katara asked.

"No, this is too convenient," Alistair disagreed. "With all the legendaries attacking random cities, there's no way it were just _drawn_ here. No, I think it was _sent_ here."

"Then let's beat this thing and check on the dark well," DJ decided, forming an aura sphere.

Alistair opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by more robotic beeps followed by stomping from behind them. Turning, the group saw two more golem-like Pokémon stomping towards them. The first one was shorter than the second and Regice with a rounded dark gray body. A black stripe ran down the creature's 'face' with seven red dots that formed a hexagon. It had long black arms with three, dark gray fingers on each hand. Its legs were short and stubby and cylindrical in shape.

The second golem was tall and mainly ash gray in color with dark red stones coming from its shoulders and spines. It had long club-like arms that just crested over the ground with legs which were short in comparison to its arms. It, like the other golems, had seven red dots on its 'face', though its were in the shape of an 'H'.

"Registeel and Regirock," Alistair growled. "The Legendary Titans."

"Joy, three of them," DJ grumbled.

"I fear that there may be more than just these three here," Alistair mumbled to the trio without taking his eyes of the titans. "DJ, I want you to go on ahead and check on the dark well."

"But what about you guys?!" DJ asked mutinously.

"We'll be fine, but if the dark well is activated, our safety won't matter!" Alistair snapped testily.

DJ still looked like he wanted to argue, Alistair's expression left no room for argument. With a curt nod, DJ dissipated his aura sphere and ran through a gap before the trio could fully close in on the group. As he did so, Regirock turned in his direction, but Alistair was quick to grab its attention.

"Oh no you don't!" Alistair formed an aura sphere in his paws and hurled it at Regirock.

The sphere exploded against the stone golem's head, causing it to teeter slightly. It regained its balance and slowly turned to Alistair, the dots on its face at a rapid pace.

"I guess that got your attention," Alistair said with a grin as he, Katara, and Leaf prepared themselves to fight.

-Legend-

DJ ran as fast as he could out of the city. Even in the dark of the night, his acute vision was able to find the path that they had taken earlier. He still had reservations about leaving Katara and the others to face the three legendaries by themselves, but he pushed his worries to the back of his mind, deciding to trust in his friends ability to handle the situation. He had been running for the better part of five minutes, reaching the edge of the living grass, when his instincts suddenly screamed at him.

He instinctively leapt back just as a dark blue sphere of energy exploded against the spot he once stood. Landing in a crouch, DJ's eyes swiftly shifted from side to side for any sign of his attacker.

"Well, well, well. Good to see that your reflexes are as sharp as ever. It would be rather boring otherwise."

DJ's body froze and the very familiar voice. Stepping out from the tall grass stood a Lucario. His red eyes practically glowed with malice, a fanged grin stretching across his lips.

DJ growled as he recognized the aura Pokémon. "Luke."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Attack of the Golems

DJ felt a myriad of emotions running through him as he stared at the twisted Lucario. Part of him had known that he would end up facing the other at some point as he knew his attack at the tower had not been enough to kill the older Lucario, but that did not stop shock from freezing him in place.

Luke noticed his fellow former human's shocked state and grinned. "Shocked to see me?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was expecting this," DJ said, snapping out of his stupor. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sure you can take a guess," Luke said, his grin never faltering.

"You're here for the dark well," DJ growled, getting into a fighting stance.

"Correct you are!" Luke exclaimed, clapping mockingly. "Still sharp as ever."

DJ's hackles rose in agitation at the jeer, however, his anger was soon abated as an undetectable wave of soothing aura washed over him from his necklace. Take a deep breath, DJ instead took the moment to observe the other Lucario, ascertaining the threat. However, what he saw was far more surprising than the Lucario's sudden appearance.

The Lucario's fur was still the same dark shade of blue yet, it seemed pale and unhealthy. Luke was also thin, disturbingly so. From where he was, DJ could practically see his ribs poking out. Cuts and bruises, all at various stages of healing, littered his emaciated form. Dark circles surrounded sunken eyes, telling DJ that the other Lucario had not slept properly in a long time.

"Looks like you've seen better days," DJ commented in a faux nonchalant manner while in reality he was reluctantly concerned about the state of the former human.

"Yes. They are...reminders of my failures," Luke said, his eyes growing distant and slightly pained. His paw then shifted to a particularly nasty looking scar, one that DJ swore looked fresh. "My master decided that I needed to be punished for failing him."

"Master?" DJ questioned before shaking his head, filing that information for later. "So this 'Master' is the one that did that to you?"

"As I said, it was my punishment," Luke snarled, now glaring at DJ.

"While I would be lying if I said I cared about that after everything you tried to do, I'm pretty sure that nobody should do _that_ for a punishment."

"Don't make it sound as if I am abused!" Luke shouted, shooting daggers with his eyes at DJ. "It is a small price to pay for everything my master has done for me!"

"You mean besides use you as a puppet?" DJ questioned, snorting as he did so.

"He gave me power!"

"A power that does more harm than good," DJ shot back.

"Power is power! I owe everything to him and I will do as he commands!"

"You're delusional." Luke scoffed at that.

"Please, you are simply to cowardly to accept the power you were given when you came to this world!"

"Wait..." DJ frowned, processing what Luke had just said. "What do you mean 'the power I was given?' Are you talking about the primal aura?"

"Of course you fool," Luke hissed. "The very power you cast aside in favor of that _light show_ you used back at the tower."

"Kicked your ass," DJ muttered under his breath before speaking louder. "So this master of yours gave me the primal aura? But how? When would he have had time to-" DJ's eyes widened in realization. "The attack when I was coming to this world! That distortion that caused me to lose my memories, it was your master?!"

"Of course, after all, he couldn't let Mew put a stop to his plans now could he?" Luke asked sinisterly.

"You do realize that he manipulated you, don't you? Mew originally sent you here to stop this 'master' of yours, not to join him! How can you be okay with that?!" DJ demanded angrily.

"And Mew is innocent in all this?" Luke sneered. "It was her that dragged me here in the first place to fulfill _her_ desire. Why should I willingly surrender myself to her?"

"Obviously because she potential in you to do good!"

"A sentiment that was clearly mistaken," Luke scoffed. "I am my own person and I will not let my fate be decreed by an outside force."

"That's exactly what this is!" DJ snapped, gesturing to Luke. "You are allowing yourself to be controlled by someone, someone who Mew sent you to defeat! He manipulated you into working for him!"

"Enough talk!" Luke snapped. "You will not sway my decision. I will follow my master's whims!"

"And I take it that means you'll be activating the dark well," DJ growled.

"Correct, and I will destroy all that get in my way. Including you," Luke said before suddenly appearing thoughtful. "Unless..."

"For the love of Arceus!" DJ exclaimed, annoyance filtering in his voice. "If you are trying to recruit me, I swear I'll-"

"Oh come now, DJ. Don't you see that you're being used?" Luke cooed silkily. "You are just a means to an end."

"Pot, kettle. Have you two met?" DJ deadpanned.

Luke growled in frustration before appearing to regain his calm. "My master can offer you so much. You can become powerful, more so than you could ever imagine. All you have to do, is give into your darkness."

DJ scowled and opened his mouth to rebuke the twisted Lucario's offer when, for a split second, he considered it. Some part of the former human's mind actually agreed with Luke, enraptured over the idea of power. Unbeknownst to DJ, his eyes flashed red and his fur seemed to darken. Luke saw this and smirked triumphantly. Then, just as it seemed DJ would accept the Lucario's offer when his necklace pulsed again, flushing away whatever dark thoughts had begun to creep into DJ's mind.

Eyes returning to the normal blue color, DJ glared at the Lucario. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I. Will. Never. Join. You!"

Luke took an involuntary step back, both from the intensity in DJ's voice and the fact that he had been rebuffed yet again. However, anger soon bled forth and Luke snarled wildly. "How?! How can you resist it?!"

"Resist what?" DJ asked curiously.

"My master's influence!" Luke shouted furiously. "The darkness in you should be presenting itself, especially so close to an activating dark well!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" DJ snapped, patience running its course. "What do you mean by darkness being in me?!"

"My master," Luke snarled, pinning his fellow Lucario with a murderous stare, "when it became apparent that you were not nearly as reliant on your primal aura as he would have liked, left a piece of his own darkness in you that would grow and allow you to fully embrace your true power. The power my master gifted to you."

"He put darkness...in me?" DJ asked, utter disgust written on his face. "All of those times when I would start to lose control, when I began to feel unprovoked anger...that was because of him?!"

"It was a means to get you to understand and accept what you have been given and give you more power on top of that," Luke spat angrily if not a little bitterly, which earned a raised brow from DJ.

"Are you...are you _jealous_?"

"You who prevented my master's plan from coming to fruition, who stood in my way as I tried to fulfill his desire." Luke growled, a familiar dark blue aura flickering around him. "You have been nothing but a thorn in my master's side yet he saw fit to gift _you_ with that power and you refuse to use it!" At this, Luke's primal aura burst forth, glowing in the night sky as if it were a raging inferno. "For you to squander such a gift is inexcusable!"

Before DJ could react, Luke dashed forward and buried a fist into DJ's gut. DJ's mouth was forcibly opened as both air and saliva was jettisoned from him. He was flung back, crashing harshly against the ground.

Groaning, DJ rolled to his side and slowly got up, nursing his bruising stomach. Despite the primal Lucario's emaciated state, it was clear that he was just as strong as when DJ fought him at the tower.

"This is the one you gave your power to?" Luke shouted to apparently no one. "He is weak! Can you not see that?!" A second passed and when no answer came, Luke roared ferally to the night sky.

"Can't you see what that power is doing to you?!" DJ shouted over Luke's roar. "You're losing yourself!"

The roar ceased, allowing the night to, once again, become silent. Slowly, Luke's gaze found DJ. His eyes flashed maddeningly as a crazed glint appeared in his gaze. "You..." he growled. "It's because of you. You have taken what should rightfully be mine!"

"Can you even hear yourself?" DJ demanded. "You're shouting about a power that is supposed to corrupt more than primal aura!"

"Power is power and it shall be mine!" Luke snarled. "Once I defeat you, I will prove to my master that I am worthy of his blessing!"

"The same master that clearly cast you aside in favor of someone he saw as stronger?" DJ snarled right back. "How can you serve someone who would do that?!"

"You are not stronger than me!" Luke shouted, his aura flaring in conjunction with his anger. He then leapt at DJ, screaming, "I will destroy you and gain more power!"

DJ cursed as he leapt away just as Luke's fist cracked the ground where he once stood. "I can see that nothing I say will reach you now, so there's only one thing to do." DJ raised his right arm, showing his bracelet and mega stone. Without further prompting, DJ touched the stone and he was engulfed in a bright red light. A second later, the light faded, revealing his mega form. "If you won't listen to reason, the I'll have to beat it into you."

Luke, unperturbed by DJ's sudden change, roared challengingly and leapt at DJ. Growling in defiance, DJ jumped forward to meet the animalistic Lucario mid jump, the two of them colliding with an explosive impact.

-Legend-

Back in Flint, Katara, Leaf, and Alistair were still engaged in battle with the legendary titans. So far they had kept the collateral damage to a minimum but the trio was still being pushed back by the legendaries.

Alistair growled in annoyance as he dodge another ancient power from the Regirock before firing an aura sphere in retaliation. "I'm getting much to old for this line of work."

"That is an illogical conclusion," Leaf said as he dodged an ice beam. "You are doing the most damage out of all of us."

Alistair did not answer, instead sighing resignedly. He ducked under the Registeel's arm as it tried to grab him and then slammed bone rush into the steel type's side. The attack seemed to do damage, but the Registeel just kept attacking.

As Alistair engaged the steel titan, Leaf and Katara attacked the remaining two in tandem. Both Pokémon sped towards the two legendaries, their arms and hands alight with grass and flying type energy respectively. The struck at the titans, their attacks glancing across the legendary's flanks, but the two regis remained unfazed.

"These things are seriously tough!" Katara shouted as he leapt away from Regice's zap cannon.

"They are legendaries!" Alistair called back, forcing Registeel back several feat with a well placed force palm. He quickly made his way over to the duo just in time to deflect another zap cannon with a bone rush. "On top of that, their bodies are literally made of the material they are named after."

Katara opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as a series of robotic beepings came from behind them. Turning, they saw Regirock raising its arms over its head before slamming them into the earth, sending a shockwave at the group. Leaf and Alistair were able to leapt out of the way, but Katara reacted too slowly. She cried out in pain as the bulldoze attack slammed into her, tossing her across the street like a rag doll.

"Katara!" Alistair exclaimed. He tried to rush over to her, but was stopped by both Registeel and Regice standing in his way. "Dammit!"

"I will get her," Leaf said before burrowing underground and tunneling towards his downed teammate.

"Sure, leave the three legendaries to me," Alistair grumbled under his breath as he prepared to engage the titan trio.

Leaf swiftly tore through the ground, racing to his injured ally. When he reached her, he immediately burst from the ground and assisted the Frogadier sit up. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern worming its way into his monotonous voice.

"I'm fine," Katara said brusquely, brushing off the Grovyle's hand. She began to get to her feet, but winced in pain, falling on one knee.

"You are clearly not," Leaf said, his voice tight, leaving no room for argument. He helped her stand, leaving a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You took a direct hit from a legendary, you do not need to feel ashamed over being hurt."

"I'm not ashamed!" Katara snapped, shrugging off the Grovyle's hand and charging back into battle.

"You clearly are," Leaf continued, catching up to Katara.

"Now's not the time, Leaf!" Katara shouted, forming a water pulse and firing it at the Regirock's exposed back.

The ball of water exploded against the rock titan's back, forcing it to stumble forward. Katara smirked at this, but then scowled as the legendary seemed to shake off the super effective attack and turn to face her. The dots on its face flashed in what Katara could only be anger. A light blue aura then erupted around the rock titan, swirling around the large Pokémon like an inferno. Then, to Katara's surprise, Regirock rushed forward and swung its arm at Katara.

Yelping in surprise, Katara just barely managed to jump out of the way as the titan's club-like arm smashed into the ground with an alarming amount of force. Glaring, her hands were engulfed in flying type energy as she suddenly shot through the air and delivered an aerial ace across the titan's back. Unfortunately, the attack did close to nothing to the rock type legendary.

Katara tried to jump get away, but the Regirock spun around, still engulfed in blue energy, and attempted to smash the Frogadier with its arm. Katara braced herself for the hit that would undoubtedly do a massive amount of damage, but was saved at the last second as Alistair suddenly appeared above the titan and smashed the glowing bone in his paws, forcing the club-like arm to miss Katara entirely.

"Don't act so rash, Katara," Alistair chastised, turning to race the Regirock. "You cannot afford to engage in such a lax manner."

"I know," Katara grumbled irritably before unleash a large blast of water at Regice. Unfortunately for her, the ice type shot an ice beam at the same time, freezing Katara's hydro pump and shattering it.

Katara growled, seeing her attack rendered useless. She made to leap at the titan, but was sent cantering to the side as Leaf crashed into her. She opened her mouth to shout at the grass type when a ray metallic energy exploded against the spot where Katara once stood.

"You need to be more careful," Leaf hissed, showing an uncharacteristic amount emotion. "You are normally more perceptive than that."

"We really don't have time for this, Leaf," Katara said angrily, forming a water pulse and firing it at Registeel. Just as the attack was about to hit, the steel type wrapped its arms around itself and a metallic sheen seemed to come over it before fading. Katara's attack hit, but did considerable less damage. "Dammit!"

"Katara! Calm down!" Katara jerked back as if slapped. In the time that she had known Leaf, he never yelled. As such, she was taken aback as emotions flooded over the stoic Pokémon's face.

Seeing that he now had Katara's attention, Leaf spoke. "You have never gotten this worked up before."

"We're fighting legendaries!" Katara snapped, overcoming her shock. "Of course I'm worked up!"

"No, it is more than that." Leaf paused, creating and energy ball and launching it at Regirock as it tried to approach. "You have fought against powerful enemies in the past, yet you have never lost focus or acted recklessly as you are now. I wish to know why."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katara denied, blasting the Regirock before it could recover with a hydro pump.

"I may not be able to read emotions like Alpha, but even I can tell that you are lying. So why are you acting this way?" he pressed.

"I'm not," Katara once again denied.

"You are."

"Can we not do this now?" Katara growled out, getting increasingly annoyed.

"Katara."

"There's nothing to-"

"Katara!"

"Because I'm weak, okay?!" Katara suddenly shouted, reaching the limit of her patience. She turned to glare at Leaf, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I'm trying to prove myself."

"Prove yourself?" Leaf questioned, completely thrown for a loop. "What do you mean by that."

"What I mean is, out of everyone on the team, _I'm_ the weak link!" she snapped. "It's always me getting injured, captured, trapped, whatever! And it's always DJ saving me! I'm supposed to be his partner, yet I can't even keep up with him anymore." As sh continued to talk, her voice grew steadily softer. "I'm just dead weight."

Leaf frowned at that. "Katara, you are not weak. You are just as strong as any of us."

"Yeah right," Katara scoffed, scowling at the ground.

"Katara, you-"

"LOOK OUT!" Alistair's panicked voice interrupted whatever Leaf was about to say. They turned just in time to see a icy beam of blue energy.

Completely caught off guard, Katara could only watch as the beam streaked towards them. As the attack was about to hit, green entered her vision. Before she could even utter her friend's name, the ice beam hit.

A flash of blue forced Katara to shield her eyes, a cold wind rushing past her. When she reopened her eyes she screamed in horror when she saw her friend, frozen in a block of ice, his mouth opened in a silent scream.

-Legend-

Luke cried out in pain as he was sent crashing to the ground. He tried to get up, but pain lanced through him, causing him to shout and fall back to the ground. The dark blue aura that had surrounded him faded.

Across the field, panting lightly, was DJ still in his mega form. Taking a gulp of fresh air, DJ allowed himself to relax slightly, but kept his mega form. He took a final look at the downed Lucario before turning away and begin making his way to the dark well when a voice stopped him.

"H-How..?" DJ stopped in his tracks, turning back to face Luke as he struggled to just raise his head.

"How what?"

"How can you be this strong?" Luke demanded, the harshness in his voice undermined by the pain he was feeling.

"Because I fight for something even greater than the sake of gaining power," DJ said coldly.

"What?"

"I fight for my friends," DJ said simply. "If that dark well activates, then they are in danger. I won't let that happen."

"Still on that 'friendship' Tauros crap then," Luke chuckled snidely before coughing.

"Hey, I kicked your ass," DJ shot back before shaking his head. "I don't have time to deal with you any longer. I need to stop the dark well." With that, DJ broke into a run, racing down the wrecked trail towards the well, leaving Luke lying across the ground.

"Dammit..." Luke growled, still too injured to move. "I failed you...master."

As he laid his head on the cold ground, about to let himself fall into blissful unconscious, he sensed someone's approach. Groaning, he managed to push himself into a position to see the new arrival. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"You don't recognize me?" a feminine voice asked. "I'm hurt."

"Enough games!" Luke snapped angrily. "Show yourself!"

"You're not in any possession to make demands," the voice chuckled. "But I'll pander to your needs. For old time's sake."

Luke watched on with narrowed eyes as a figure stepped out of the shadows. His scowl melted off his face, replaced by surprise. "Ester?"

The now revealed Gardevoir chuckled tonelessly, her ruby eyes holding little emotion. "Hello, Luke."

-Legend-

DJ raced down the trail towards the dark well. Even from where he was, he could feel the vileness of the well bursting forth with much more intensity than before. The mega Lucario shuddered violently at the feeling, but refused to let it halt his progress.

Soon the well entered his line of sight and he was horrified by the state of the stone well. While it was not spewing dark energy into the sky, it was clear that it was activating. The ivy and weeds that had grown over the well had all died, withering away to black ash. The well itself appeared to be shaking, the occasional flash of pitch black gunk spluttering from it.

"Dammit," DJ cursed, picking up the pace.

As he drew nearer to the well he could make out a dull rumbling sound. Believing it to be the well activating, DJ grew worried. He had no idea how to shut off the well and he doubted that he could destroy it by himself. Unfortunately, he did not have the luxury of taking time to come up with a plan so he kept running.

By that point, he could feel the ground begin to shake, the rumbles growing louder and more intense almost every five seconds. DJ paused in his running momentarily, feeling that something was off. His eyes widened when he noticed that the quaking was growing louder and stronger despite him not moving closer to the well.

He slowly turned towards the source and blanched as a giant foot was heading straight for him. Giving an embarrassingly feminine scream, DJ just barely leapt out of the way as the giant foot smashed the ground where he once stood. Gulping, DJ slowly looked up the giant leg and blanched at the sheer mass of the being before him.

It was twelve feet tall golem, much like the trio attacking Flint. It was black in color with white tribal-like markings running along its body. Its 'head' was dark bronze in color with seven dots, three in an arc and four running straight down on the slop of its head. On either side of the four dots were six gemstones, three on each side, the top two a dark orange, the middle two black, and the final two a dark gray. Its arms were long, ending in three fingers on each hand. Dark green mossy bushes seemed to grow from around its shoulders and on its feet. Dark bronze bands wrapped around its wrists and shoulders.

"It's never easy, is it," DJ grumbled to himself.

The golem released a series of clicks and beeps, reminiscent of the other regis, though much deeper and harsher than the other three. It raised its arm, very slowly, putting DJ on edge. Its fingers curled into a fist, a yellow aura running up its arm. Then, with an alarming amount of speed, brought his arm down towards DJ. With a yelp, DJ dove out of the way as the giant's arm slammed into the ground, exploding the earth beneath its fist, scattering clumps of dirt and debris in every direction.

Rolling to his feet, DJ brought up his paws and formed an aura sphere in his paws. With a shout, he fired the glowing sphere at the giant, smirking as it exploded against the creature's head. It stumbled back, seemingly caught off guard by DJ's attack, but was quick to regain its foot. The dots on its face flash red and DJ felt an overwhelming sense of anger emanating from the larger Pokémon.

The creature took a slow step towards DJ, both its arms alight with yellow energy. Despite its initial slow movement, DJ found himself pressed to avoid the surprisingly swift punches sent by the giant. Flipping back away from a fist that managed to bury itself in the dirt, DJ quickly jumped onto its arm and ran up it towards its head. Forming a bone rush in his paws, DJ unleashed a flurry of blows with his glowing bone against the beings head.

The giant released a loud screech of pain, swinging its head in hopes to fling the mega evolved Pokémon from its body. DJ dismissed his bone in favor of gripping the mossy bush around the giant's shoulders in hopes to not be flung like a rag doll. Unfortunately, his grip failed him and he was tossed to the ground. With his vision spinning, DJ was unable to catch himself and crashed to the ground with a harsh thud.

Reeling, DJ gave a low groan and pushed himself onto all fours. Raising his head, DJ gave a shout of surprise and quickly rolled to the side as the giant attempted to stomp him into the dirt. Getting back to his feet, the mega Pokémon was forced to keep moving as a hyper beam exploded against the ground, the shockwave sending him onto his back.

"Ugh," DJ groaned, getting back to his feet and looked wearily up at the giant. "This is going to suck."

-Legend-

Katara stared at her now frozen friend, horrified. That attack had been meant for her, yet Leaf had jumped in front of her, even though he was susceptible to ice type damage. Once again, someone had saved her at the risk of their own life.

In the distance, she could scarcely hear Alistair shouting, but she could not decipher what he was saying, her ears feeling as if they were stuffed with cotton. Glancing up, everything seemed distorted, slower than usual. She could just make out Alistair fending of the trio of legendaries by himself, but he was steadily losing ground. It was all he could do just to keep their attention off of her and Leaf.

"Why?" she found herself asking. "Why is it like this? Why am I like this?"

She collapsed to her knees, grief and lament washing over her. She had, once again, been the weak link and a liability in a fight. How can she stand against such power, power that easily incapacitated her friend? How can she compare to power like that?

"I should just give up," she whispered to herself. "What can I possibly do?"

"KATARA!" the Frogadier jumped as Alistair's voice roared through the haze.

She once more turned her head to face the Lucario. He appeared ragged, sporting several bruises and other injuries, but his eyes were burning with a determined fire. "You can't give up!" he shouted, ducking under Regirock's arm as it tried to hit him. "You can _never_ give up!"

"But it's hopeless," Katara muttered under her breath, too soft for Alistair to hear. Her eyes closed as she resigned herself to her fate.

"Do you think that DJ gave up when I was training him?! When _he_ felt weak?!" Katara's eyes snapped open at that. "Do you think Asura, Grace, or even your father gave up when things looked bad?" Alistair demanded. "No, they never gave up. They kept pushing themselves until they were able to overcome their weaknesses! Don't let yourself give in to your own weakness, rise above it!"

He grunted as he was forced to one knee as he grabbed Regirock's arm as it tried to use hammer on him. "You are an exploration team member, meaning you don't give up no matter what! You fight until your last breath, until you succeed in your goal and defeat those with evil intentions! You are stronger than you think, so fight! Don't let your fear of failure stop you from fulfilling your true potential!" It looked as if Alistair wanted to say more, but the three regis blocked him from view, drowning out his voices with their robotic beeps.

"Alistair!" Katara shouted in alarm as she lost visual of the Lucario. She wanted to help, she really did, but what could she do?

" _You can't give up!_ "

"It's hopeless..."

" _Do you think DJ gave up when I was training him?! When_ he _felt weak?!_ "

"I'm not him..."

" _Don't let your fear of failure stop you from fulfilling your true potential!_ "

"My true potential..."

" _You're stronger than you think, so fight!_ "

"Fight..." Katara looked up, her gaze finding the regis, Alistair still out of view. "Defeat those with evil intentions..."

She slowly got to her feet, stumbling slightly, her head bowed. "Protect the innocent," she muttered. "That's why I wanted to join Gallade's Guild, to protect those who can't protect themselves..."

She looked at Leaf's frozen form and to where the regis were covering Alistair. He hands curled into tight fists, her teeth clenched. "He's right. If I give up now, I'll never reach my goal." Slowly, Katara began to walk forward, steadily getting faster and faster until she was sprinting towards the Legendary Titans. "If I quit now, I'll always be weak!"

As she said this, her form was engulfed in a bright blue light. Still running, her limbs grew longer, her head changed shape, her ears stretching out and becoming pointed. The light faded revealing a tall dark blue and cream colored amphibian. Katara's new form had four protrusions that looked like bubbles, one on each limb. She had two-toed webbed feet and three fingered webbed hands. On her upper thighs there were light blue four-pointed stars that resemble shuriken. A light blue stripe ran down between her pale ears.

Her new ruby red eyes glared frostily at the regis as they pummeled Alistair as he attempted to fend off the trios assault. Narrowing her eyes at the steel type as it raised its arm to strike Alistair, on instinct, her tongue shot out of her mouth. Her tongue stretched out an alarming distance before wrapping around the steel type's arm, stopping its attack and that was all Alistair needed.

The Lucario lashed out with his leg, kicking the steel type in the leg. The hit coupled with Katara's tongue pulling the legendary's arm, caused the steel titan to topple over. With a gap created, Alistair jumped to his feet and dashed away from the other titans, coming to a stop at Katara's side. "Good to see you snapped out of it," he commented. His eyes roamed over her new form appreciatively. "I see you evolved too. Just in time."

Katara grinned as she retracted her tongue from around the steel type's arm, wrapping it around her neck like a scarf. "Thanks," she said. "You were right, I can't just give up anymore. I have to overcome my weakness."

Alistair smiled proudly at the newly evolved Greninja before turning to the three legendaries. "Good to hear. Now, let's beat these three."

"Sounds like a plan," Katara said, a confident grin forming on her face.

-Legend-

DJ grunted as he flattened himself on the ground, allowing for a large hyper beam to pass right over him. He winced as the large beam just skimmed his back fur, singeing it and filling the air with the smell of burning fur. When the beam finally stopped, DJ leapt to his feet and glared tiredly at the giant. Despite fighting the behemoth for a long period of time, the giant seemed almost completely unfazed. DJ himself had not taken that much damage, having been able to avoid most of the giant's attacks, but he was growing tired.

"I really hate fighting legendaries," DJ grumbled as he formed another aura sphere.

With the giant temporarily paused from the hyper beam, DJ was able to hit it with another aura sphere, but the thing just shook it off. With a loud drawn out beep, the beast seemed to fall forward, causing DJ to jump back as to not get crushed. The creature then caught itself with its arms and settled on all fours.

DJ was confused over this. It looked as if it were tired with how it was stationed. Wondering if he had actually been doing more damage than he thought, DJ crept forward trepidaciously. As soon as he was an arms' length, the giant acted.

A blue energy sparked across the top portion of the giants head. Its feet braced against the ground while its body pulled back slightly, its arms remaining where they were. DJ realized what the giant was about to do a second before it happened, but it was already too late.

Kicking off the ground while pulling forward on the ground at the same time caused the giant to explode forward, nailing DJ with a powerful zen headbutt. DJ cried out in pain, saliva and bile spewing from his mouth at the impact, and was sent flying high into the air.

DJ soared across the field a good twenty yards before bouncing on the ground for another five before skidding to a halt. Dazed and in pain, DJ could do nothing but groan in pain and clutch his stomach. He coughed violently, spitting up a few globs of blood as he did so. "Ow..."

From his spot on the ground he could hear and feel the footsteps of the giant making its way towards him. Clutching his stomach, DJ tried futilely to get to his feet, but doubled over in pain. He was at the complete mercy of the giant.

Using what little strength he could muster, DJ raised his head and looked up at the giant that stood above him. A series of flashes from its 'eye' lit up its face before it raised on of its arms, opening its hand so that its palm was pointed at DJ. Purple energy began to build up in its hand as it charged up the hyper beam that would finish DJ off.

"This is going to hurt," DJ cringed, bracing for the impact.

Just the beam was about to be released, a pink orb cut through the night sky and slammed into the giant's hand, causing both it and the giant's hyper beam to detonate prematurely. The giant gave a robotic screech of pain, waving its hand wildly and stumbling back.

"What the hell?" DJ muttered gobsmacked. At that moment a large golden ring filled with bright pink energy headed right for him. Unable to dodge, the Lucario tensed, readying himself for the pain, but there was no pain. Instead it felt as if his aches and pains disappeared almost instantly. Gasping in surprise, DJ watched as his injuries began to fade.

"Are you alright?" DJ looked up and was met with the concerned look of Ester.

"E-Ester?" he asked, surprised and confused over the Gardevoir's appearance.

The psychic-fairy type sighed in relief. "Good, I made it in time."

"Wha..? How..? Why..?"

"Why am I hear?" she asked, giggling lightly when DJ nodded dumbly. "I was assisting getting the citizens of Flint to safety when I sensed something familiar. Or rather, someone?"

"Someone?" DJ trailed off when he saw a flash of blue enter the edge of his vision. An aura sphere raced across the field and exploded against the giant's knee, causing it to kneel. The attacker stepped out of the forest and into the moonlight, revealing a familiar Lucario. "Luke?!" DJ shouted in utter amazement. " _You're_ helping me?!"

"Don't act flattered," the other Lucario sneered. "I'm only hear for her!"

"Ester?" DJ questioned, completely lost.

"No time to explain," she said curtly, helping the mega Lucario to his feet. "We have to deal with Regigigas before the dark well is activated."

"So this thing is one of the regis," DJ said.

"That's right," Ester nodded. "In fact, it is said that Regigigas was the one who created the other three, but now's not the time for a history lesson." She reached up and touched a necklace with a blue, green, and pink crystal in the center that DJ had not noticed until that moment. In a flash, the Gardevoir was enveloped in the red light of mega evolution. The crest on her chest grew and split into two, wing like accents on her face extended, and her dress grew in length and puffed up. The light faded revealing a more dainty, yet clearly powerful, form of Ester.

She opened her eyes, that were burning with anticipation and trepidation. She raised her now white arms in preparation for an attack. "Now, we fight."

 **Author's Note:**

Sorry if this chapter, and others, seems a little rushed. In all honesty, I'm trying to finish Stardust soon so I can focus on Resistance and a few other stories that I have in mind. I hope the story is still appealing to you all and I apologize if I am making this story unappealing to you all. Anyway, I would also like to bring to your attention a recent author who had started their own story that I would like to recommend to you all. The author's name is felixrockatansky and their story is called Shining Tales: Rise of a New World. I hope that you find their story as enthralling as I do. Thank you all for your continued support and feel free to leave a review.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Sacrifice

Katara and Alistair stared down the Legendary Titans as they recovered from the duo's surprise attack. The three golems, free of their stupor, seemed to glare at the duo, their 'eyes' flashing in apparent anger.

"We will have to be cautious," Alistair said sagely. "We may have the advantage in terms of typing, but they are legendaries and we a down one ally."

Katara withheld a wince and unconsciously glanced behind her at Leaf's frozen form. There was little doubt that the grass type would not last very long like he was. The needed to end the fight so they could free him. With a somber nod, Katara prepared herself for the imminent fight.

"Good," Alistair nodded in response and turned back to the now advancing trio. "Here they come!"

Regirock reached the trio first and swung its arm at them, its body alight with the blue energy of superpower. Both Pokémon leapt out of the way as the stone golem's arm smashed into the ground, clumps of dirt and other debris flying in every direction.

Landing lightly, Katara kicked off the ground and towards the rock type. Just as the the golem was raising its head, Katara was descending upon it, her hands engulfed in a sky blue energy. Slashing down with her hands, Katara slashed at the legendary with two vicious aerial ace attacks. Knowing that the attack did not do much, Katara followed up with a powerful hydro pump that pushed Regirock off balance.

At the same time, Alistair had engaged both Regice and Registeel in combat. With his type advantage, the graying Lucario was able to fight against the two titans to a standstill. With a war cry, the elder Lucario struck at Registeel with a force palm, causing the steel golem to stumble back. Without missing a beat, Alistair dodged Regice's ice beam and rebutted with an aura sphere. With a shrill cry, Regice fell back, but soon came back along with its steel counterpart.

Releasing a series of robotic beeps, Registeel's body took on a bright glow as it raised its hands up. A ball of steel energy formed in between the golem's hands and seemed to absorb the light that had been surrounding Registeel. With a low blast of metallic sound, Registeel released the glowing orb and sent it hurtling towards the Lucario.

Eyes narrowed, Alistair formed another aura sphere and fired it at the metal burst. The two attacks met in the air, creating a large explosion that wafted over the nearby area. Squinting, Alistair stared at the smoke, waiting for Registeel to emerge, but, instead of the steel golem, an ice beam shot through the smoke at alarming speeds. Caught off guard, Alistair had just enough time to lean to the side as to not take a direct hit. Instead, his left arm was hit by the beam and encased in ice.

Hissing in pain and surprise, Alistair instinctively grabbed his frozen limb, just as Registeel burst through the smoke, its body engulfed in the bright silvery light from its iron head. Just as the attack was about to make contact, a torrent of water cut through the air and slammed into Registeel's side, sending it off course and causing it to smash into the ground beside Alistair.

"Thanks," Alistair said gratefully before smashing his frozen arm against Regice as it tried to creep up on him. The ice around the fighting-steel type's arm shattered, allowing for the Lucario to hit the Regice with a force palm, using his now free arm.

"No problem!" Katara called back, not taking her eyes off her current quarry.

Said Pokémon roared mechanically in what Katara assumed was anger. From the ground, several large stones erupted forth, floating dangerously around its head. The golem swung its arms forward, the stones mirroring the golem's movement, racing towards Katara who nimbly flipped out of the way.

Regirock roared again, summoning more stones that, like their predecessors, raced towards the acrobatic ninja frog. Faced with the storm of stones, Katara had nowhere to run to. With no other option, Katara narrowed her eyes and leapt towards the barrage of rocks.

In a display of incredible acrobatics, Katara jumped from rock to rock, avoiding damage and closing the distance between her and the rock titan. If a golem could show surprise, Regirock would be flabbergasted as Katara had, not only avoided its attack, but was now right above it.

Katara, now basically flying right above the legendary, brought her hands to her side. She meant to form a water pulse, but instead of forming a sphere, the water flattened itself, becoming more like a discus. Four sharp points extended from the disk, forming a shuriken. Confused, but unwilling to back out of her attack, Katara threw her new attack at the stone golem, smiling in satisfaction when the attack left a long gash across the legendary's front.

Regirock cried out in pain, its fingerless hands fumbling helplessly across its cut. To caught up in its own pain, Regirock did not see Alistair running towards it until the Lucario had already raked over its stone skin with a metal claw. The Regirock fell forward slightly, caught off guard by Alistair's attack, and fell right on top of Alistair's paw as he used force palm.

A flash of light engulfed the rock type's upper body and Regirock was flung backwards. With a ground shaking crash, Regirock tumbled to the ground, landing flat on its back. It gave of a week series of beeps before its 'eyes' dimmed. The darkness that had once consumed the legendary wafted off its form, curling into the sky like a smoke cloud before fading, leaving Regirock out cold, its colors a light gray and orange.

"That's one down," Katara said, panting lightly.

"And two more to go," Alistair added, turning his attention to the remaining titans.

Regice and Registeel appeared enraged over their allies defeat, their 'eyes' flashing erratically. Not waiting for the two legendaries to make a move, Katara formed another water shuriken, this one much larger than before, and threw it at the golems.

Too slow to dodge, the water shuriken cut across the regis' fronts before dispersing into droplets. Unfortunately, the attack was not as effective against Regice and Registeel as it was against Regirock.

"That won't be enough," Alistair commented teasingly.

"I realize that!" Katara bit back in irritation.

Regice screeched before racing towards the duo, its pointed feet barely skimming along the ground. Arms taking on a bright glow, Regice swung down at the duo with a hammer arm, forcing the duo to leap to the side to avoid the super-effective attack. At the same time, Registeel unleashed a powerful flash cannon at the duo as the dodged.

Katara, being much more nimble and quick, was able to jump away in time, but Alistair did not have that luxury. Crossing his arms over his chest, Alistair braced himself as the attack slammed against him. Thankfully, as a steel type, the attack did not do much, but Alistair was pushed back several feet. Lowering his slightly smoking arms, Alistair glared at the offending steel type.

Unperturbed by the aura Pokémon's glare, Registeel lumbered forward only to be blasted onto its side by a strong hydro pump. Before the steel golem could get back to its feet, Katara descended upon the prone legendary, attacking it with an flurry of sky blue blades. While the flying type move did not do much against the steel type, it did leave several scratched along its metallic body.

As this was happening, Regice decided that Alistair was a prime target. It slowly floated towards the Lucario, who was just getting back to his feet. Forming a large ball of crackling electricity, Regice screeched loudly before launching a zap cannon at the Lucario.

Seeing that attack, Alistair quickly created a glowing bone in his paws. Twirling it around his body to gain momentum, Alistair swung the bone at the incoming attack. The two attacks met, causing sparks to burst out from between the two before, in an impressive display of strength, Alistair batted the attack back at Regice, who was caught off guard. The redirected attack exploded violently against the ice golem, causing it to fly back, its arms flailing wildly.

Seeing Regice moving closer, courtesy of Alistair, Katara smirked as a plan formed in her mind. Leaping over the steel type and landing behind it, she unleashed the strongest hydro pump she could manage. The legendary warbled loudly as it was forced forward by the intense blast of water. It tried to dig in its heels to stop its movement, but Katara's attack was too powerful. It soon found itself stumbling into its ice type counterpart, causing them both to fall over.

"Now!" Katara shouted. "Hit them with everything you've got!"

Not needing to be told twice, Alistair nodded and began forming a large aura sphere. At the same time, Katara was inhaling deeply, her torrent ability activating in response to her need. In unison, Alistair and Katara unleashed a powerful aura sphere and hydro pump respectively.

The two attacks raced towards the slowly recovering titans. Unable to dodge, the two titans were soon engulfed by the combined attacks and the ensuing explosion. When the smoke finally cleared, both remaining titans were unconscious, the darkness curling off their forms, returning them to their original states.

As the shadows curled from the legendaries' unconscious forms, as if responding to Regice's defeat, the ice surrounding Leaf shattered. The grass type stumbled forward before falling to the ground in a daze.

"Leaf!" Katara cried, seeing her friend free from his icy prison. She raced to his side and rolled him over onto his back, his head in the Greninja's lap. "Come on, Leaf, wake up!"

The Grovyle's face scrunched up in discomfort before opening his eyes. Blinking blearily, the grass type's gaze slowly focused on the water-dark type. "K...atara?"

Katara almost laughed in relief, hugging the grass type tightly. "Thank Arceus you're alright!"

"This is the second time you have saved me and evolved in the process," Leaf said, smiling softly. "This proves that you are not weak."

This time Katara could not help but laugh at her friend. "You were right," she said, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "I'm not weak."

Alistair looked at the touching scene, smiling warmly at the duo. He then frowned when he felt a fluctuation of negative energy wash over him and the town. His gaze turned south of the town, towards the direction in which the dark well was situated. "DJ. Hurry up," he said.

-Legend-

DJ growled in annoyance as the now identified Regigigas shook off another one of his attacks. He, Ester, and Luke had been fighting the behemoth for what felt like hours, but it appeared that they were no closer to beating it than before.

"What? You getting tired, pup?" DJ growled as Luke jeered at him from several feet away.

"I'm just getting started!" the mega evolved Pokémon shouted before dashing towards the giant.

Jumping to the side to avoid a heavy slam attack, DJ then used the arm the giant used as a spring board to catapult himself towards the normal type's face. Soaring through the air, DJ's fist took on a brilliant orange glow as he prepared a power-up punch. Before Regigigas could react, DJ's fist had slammed into its face with a cacophonous crash.

As DJ began to descend, he scowled when he noted that the giant appeared unfazed. In fact, it looked as if the legendary had not even realized it had been struck. Growling, DJ, still falling, formed an aura sphere and fired it at the legendary, watching in satisfaction as it exploded against the normal type. This seemed to gain the giants attention, fortunately and unfortunately.

Regigigas' 'eyes' flashed in anger before it raised its arm to smash the mega Pokémon into the dirt. Just before the attack could make contact with the wide-eyed exploration member, a blue glow took hold of his body and snatched the Lucario out of the air, pulling him out of harms way.

DJ winced in pain as psychic energy pulled at him, but thankfully his steel typing protected him from the worst of it. He smiled in relief as the energy left his body, depositing him next to Ester. "You okay, kid?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks," DJ responded.

"Good," she said curtly before sending a powerful moonblast at the giant. "Fighting legendaries is always so tedious."

"You've fought legendaries before?" DJ could not help but ask.

"Now's really not the best time," Ester grunted, using psychic to grab the legendary's arm before it could crush Luke.

"Right," DJ said sheepishly before becoming serious. Without another word he, while gagging on the inside, ran to help Luke.

Forming twin metal claws, DJ lashed out at the giant's legs, trying to get it to fall, but the beast was just too powerful. Undeterred, DJ slammed a power-up punch into the giant's leg, followed by a bone rush. This time, the giant did fall, onto one knee, visibly pained.

Capitalizing on their enemy's stunned state, Luke rushed forward and violently attacked the giant with close combat. The giant gave a shrill cry of apparent pain as the twisted Lucario's punches and kicks made contact with the giant. Unfortunately, the regi recovered quickly.

Eyes flashing in anger, an orange fiery glow surrounded on of Regigigas's hands as the golem raised it into the air. Luke was too focused on pounding the normal type to realize the danger he was in. DJ, however, saw the impending attack.

"Look out!" the mega Pokémon shouted, racing towards the other former human.

Luke had just enough time to turn his head before DJ had tackled him around the middle, throwing them both onto the ground a few feat away. Luke growled angrily, opening his mouth to snap at the other Lucario when Regigigas's hand slammed into the spot Luke once stood. The orange energy from its hand flushed into the ground and a second later, the ground shook with an explosive boom, chunks of dirt and rock flying in every direction.

Both Lucario looked at the crater that was now carved into the ground in shock. DJ overcame his stupor first and got up. "I honestly could care less about you," he said to Luke, "but, unfortunately, we need you for this fight. After that, you can go to hell for all I care."

"Sounds fine to me," Luke growled, getting to his feet as well. "If it were up to me, I'd leave you to fight this thing alone."

"Then why are you here?" DJ growled.

"I told you. I'm here for Ester."

"Oh, so _now_ you care about your friends," DJ scoffed. He then yelped as Luke roughly grabbed his fur and pulled him to meet the murderous red gaze of the elder Lucario.

"Don't you dare," he spat angrily. "Don't you dare act like you know what I think. What I've done, I've done for a reason!"

"Yeah, to serve your master," DJ snarled, slapping the Lucario's paws off him. "Don't act like you did what you've done for anybody, but yourself!"

Luke growled, a visible vein throbbing on his temple. The spikes on the back of his paws glowed separated into three curled claws and he shoved one of them under DJ's chin. "Watch yourself, boy," he growled. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know exactly what I'm talking about," DJ sneered fearlessly. "All you think about is power and you don't care about who you hurt to get it. It's because of you that Team SATE broke up and they had to deal with the pain that resulted from it. I don't care about your motives, but what you did shattered the ones that took you in."

Luke snarled furiously, pressing his claws deeper into DJ's chin, hard enough to draw a few droplets of blood. Even so, DJ refused to break contact, his glare matching Luke's. The two Lucario continued to stare the other down before they broke contact when they heard the sound of crackling energy. They both turned just in time to see the giant charging up a large purple beam of energy. With a loud ringing tone, the normal type released a large blast of energy at the duo. Their eyes widened in shock, cursing themselves for their inattentiveness.

Just as the hyper beam was about to hit, a bright green dome surrounded them. The hyper beam slammed into the green shield with an incredible amount of force, but the shield held firm.

"I don't know what the hell you two were fighting about, but now is not the time!" The two aura Pokémon turned and saw a very annoyed Ester glaring at them.

"Yes, ma'am," both DJ and Luke chorused, though they still glared at the other.

When the beam finally died down, and Ester dropped her protect, both Lucario burst forward and attacked the momentarily stunned legendary. Luke unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks while attacked with a multitude of power-up punches. When the Regigigas did overcome its temporary paralysis, it attacked the duo with extreme prejudice.

The Lucario danced in and out of danger, the giant's attacks missing them by mere inches at points. They would run in whenever the legendary paused and race right back out before the normal type could land a direct hit. Ester helped by attacking with psychic and moonblast, doing more damage.

Slowly the Regigigas was pushed back by the combined effort of the three Pokémon. For the first time since the battle began, the normal golem appeared to be taking damage and was feeling it. This however, proved to be a bad thing.

Apparently tired of taking so much damage yet doing none in return, Regigigas roared in anger, the entire ground shaking in response to its rage. Both of its arms took on a metallic sheen before it slammed both of them into the earth. The force of the dual heavy slam shook the ground as much as any earthquake, cracking and tearing at the ground while putting the trio off balance. Then, moving faster than it had previously, raised its arms again, this time an orange glow covering them, and sent them towards the Lucario, who were closer.

Unable to dodge, the giant's three-fingered hands grabbed onto the two Lucario and lifted them into the air. Trapped within the golem's grip, all the former humans could do was scream in pain as the legendary's grip tightened. Then they exploded.

The orange energy that had engulfed the Regigigas' hands, flowed into the Lucario and detonated with incredible force. Relaxing its grip, the Lucario fell limply to the ground, landing with twin crashes. DJ, having already taken a substantial amount of damage that had not been fully healed by Ester's earlier heal pulse, succumbed to unconsciousness, his mega evolution fading in a flash of red.

"Dammit," Luke growled, seeing that the other Lucario had passed out. "Ester!"

"On it," the mega Gardevoir said, rushing forward. She was about to use heal pulse on the Lucario, but Regigigas was not going to allow it.

Before she could react, she was engulfed by hyper beam, sent by Regigigas, causing her to scream in pain.

"ESTER!" Luke shouted in genuine horror. He struggled to get up, but his injuries were too severe. He could only watch helplessly as the beam faded and Ester fell forward, her mega form fading. "No."

Ester groaned lowly, pushing her torso off the ground. She held out her hand towards DJ's, still determined to heal him at least a little bit, but she did not have the energy. She collapsed to the ground again, just barely conscious.

A series of loud thuds garnered the Gardevoir's attention. The legendary that now towered over her, free from its hyper beam induced stun. Slowly, almost methodically, the golem raised one of its arms, stretching out its hand so that the palm was facing Ester. A familiar flicker of purple energy began to pool in the legendary's hand, growing into a orb of wild power.

As the orb swelled in both size and power, Ester could only close her eyes and except her fate. She just wished she could have done more.

From behind her closed eyes, Ester could see the light from the attack that would most certainly be the end of her growing in intensity. She clenched her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the light from the attack. Then, all of a sudden, everything went dark, like something was blocking the light.

Confused, Ester tentatively opened her eyes and saw a Lucario standing directly in front of her. "Luke?"

The darkened Lucario, glanced behind at the prone Gardevoir, his dark red eyes burning with resolve. "Stay down, Ester," he said. "I won't let it harm you."

"Are you insane?!" Ester shouted, wincing as her shout aggravated her injured body. However, this did not deter her. "Even with your type advantage, a direct attack of that magnitude will kill you!"

"Then I'll die protecting you!" Luke shot back, turning back around to face the giant regi.

"Why?" Ester questioned, both confused and angry.

"Because it's what I should have done long ago!" Luke shouted, silencing the Gardevoir before she could say anything else. With her silent, Luke continued. "You took me in when I first came to this world, when I had nowhere to go and no memory of my life, and I spat on it."

Luke's paws curled into tight fists, his entire form shaking. "I spat on your kindness and betrayed your trust for the sake of power," he continued. "I threw the love and kindness that you gave me and went down a dark path that I will never be able to come back from, but even so..." Ester could see a small tear rolling down the Lucario's cheek. "Even so you showed me kindness."

 **Flashback:**

"Ester?"

"Hello, Luke." The Gardevoir stepped out of the shadows and walked over to the prone Lucario, her expression blank.

"What are you doing here?" he growled weakly, to tired to even attempt to get up.

"I sensed a change in the state in the dark well so I came to investigate," she said simply. "Imagine my surprise when I sensed a familiar presence. A presence that I hadn't felt in years."

"Well whoop-de-doo for you," Luke scoffed sarcastically. "You sensed me, now what are you going to do? Kill me? Are you going to finish what you and the others started all those years ago?"

Ester did not respond, her red gaze devoid of any emotion. When the silence persisted, Luke grew agitated before he exploded, "Well?! What?! I'm at your mercy! Finish me! I know you want to, after all, it's because of me that your team fell apart. It was me that broke the team beyond repair! So do it! Exact your revenge and be done with it!"

The twisted Lucario closed his eyes, bracing himself for the attack that was sure to come. However, instead of pain, what he felt was a warm gust of air washing over him. In an instant, his wounds began to fade away to nothing, his energy and aura replenishing. His eyes snapped open as the final rays of a heal pulse faded, Ester crouched before him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Healing you," she said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Why?" Luke asked, to shocked to keep up his angered facade.

"Because it's what I do," Ester said, looking Luke in the eye. "It's what exploration teams do. Even if I'm not part of a team anymore, the principles stay with you. It appears that you forgot that."

Luke growled in response and sat up. "I don't need your pathetic _principles_. I wanted power and I got it!"

"At the cost of your friends," Ester commented dryly, getting back to her feet, dusting herself off, and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Luke snapped.

"To help stop the dark well," she answered. "After all, helping others is what the exploration society is all about."

"You can't stop it, you know," Luke said, causing Ester to pause. "The dark well's activation. It cannot be stopped. My master's plan is perfect. Soon all will be consumed by darkness."

Ester was quiet for a while, before speaking once more, "You know, when we first found you, we had such high hopes. We thought that we could train you to become a force for good."

"And you were wrong!" Luke sneered.

"We thought that by pushing you to be the best, you would be encouraged to become stronger and become a prominent exploration team member," Ester continued, ignoring Luke's statement. "But we pushed you too hard, I see that now. We pressured you to become stronger and stronger, not even noticing how the pressure was affecting you. It is our fault that you turned to the primal aura and the darkness that it brought to your heart. We are to blame for what had become of you. You don't need to blame yourself anymore."

"Blame myself?" Luke laughed. "You think I blame myself?! Ha! I love this power. It fuels me, sustains me! I can't live without it! This darkness, is all I am, why would I ever blame myself for accepting it?"

"Why did you want me to finish you?" Ester countered, causing Luke to fall silent. "You wanted me to finish you off a few seconds ago. Why?"

Luke did not answer.

"And, if you are truly lost to the dark, why have you not attacked me?" she pressed when Luke remained silent. "You say that that darkness is all you have, that it is all you need, but it's not, is it?"

The Gardevoir slowly turned to face Luke fully. "Deep down, you regret what you've become and the bonds that you've broken. I can feel it, drowning under the darkness and pain that has haunted you for years. You've been in so much pain for so many years and it is us, Team SATE, that is to blame."

Ester held Luke's gaze with her piercing one. She bowed her head, folding her hands over the other. "I am sorry," she apologized sincerely. "The pain we have caused you, I can't even begin to imagine it."

At this, a growl ripped its way out of Luke's throat as he leapt off the ground. He rushed Ester, one of his spikes morphed into a metal claw. With a roar, he swung the claw at the psychic-fairy type, who refused to move. She kept her head bowed, seemingly embracing her fate. Just as the steel type attack was about to hit, Luke froze.

"Why?" the Lucario whispered, his voice oddly quiet.

"Because I've hurt you, Luke," Ester answered, head still bowed, a tear falling down her cheek. "You've had to live with this pain for years, deluding yourself by claiming that you wanted this power, but you never did." She finally looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "There's still good in you, I know there is. You never wanted to be a part of this, there's a part of you that still wants to do good."

Luke stared wide-eyed in shock, unconsciously deactivating his metal claw. He stepped back unconsciously, opening and closing his mouth.

"I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please, help me," Ester pleased. "Help me stop this dark well. I know there is good in you, so let the rest of the world see it."

Luke, once again, was silent. His mouth was now firmly shut and his eyes were filled with warring emotions. Ester saw this and smiled sadly. Without a word, she turned and began to walk away.

"Wait."

Ester paused mid-step. Turning around to look at the Lucario once more.

Luke shifted in an indecisive manner, but his wine red eyes held an ember of determination. "I'll help you."

 **Flashback End:**

"You were right, Ester," Luke said. "All these years, I've been beating myself up for betraying you all. Convincing myself that it was all worth it, but it wasn't. It was never worth losing you all."

In the light of the hyper beam, Ester could clearly see all the pain that the Lucario had hidden. All the pain and sadness that had built up within him was now free for all to see. Ester could feel the thin barriers that served to hold his emotions back had fallen, causing his Ester to literally feel his pain.

"All these years, I've let this power, this darkness, run my life in hopes that I could forget the betrayal that I had caused," Luke continued. "In the end, I let myself fall into servitude to a monster, thinking that it was what I deserved after all I've done."

"Luke..." Ester began, only to be drowned out by Regigigas' loud mechanical screech. The energy of the hyper beam was practically exploding with wild power. Seeing the large build up of energy, Ester snapped out of her revere.

"Luke, you need to move," Ester said, desperately willing the Lucario to listen. "There's nothing you have to atone for!"

"Yes there is!" Luke shouted back. "I betrayed you all, forsaking everything you've done for me for power. I may have betrayed you then, but I won't step away now!"

Luke turned to fully face the legendary as it prepared to its attack. "I have forsaken you once and I won't do it again!"

With a monotonous roar of Regigigas shook the ground as it fired the massive blast of energy. The attack bared down on the Lucario, but he did not flinch away.

"I won't let you hurt her anymore!" Luke shouted at the Regigigas, extending his arms as if asking for a hug.

Ester shouted desperately at Luke to move, fearful of what the hyper beam would do, but Luke did not budge. He stared down the incoming attack defiantly, his determination to protect Ester giving him new resolve.

"I won't leave again!"

 **BOOM!**

The hyper beam met its mark, detonating with a cacophonous explosion that shook the earth. Debris, grass, rock, everything in the nearby area was sent flying from the ensuing shockwave, sparing nothing. A large tower of thick black smoke curled into the night sky, blackening the already black sky. The giant legendary seemed to stare at the devastation that it had caused with satisfaction. It turned away, most likely to finish off DJ, but stopped as a large rush of wind, emanating from the epicenter of the legendary's attack, tore through the smoke, revealing a bright blue light.

Regigigas turned back, 'eyes' flashing in both confusion and annoyance, and saw a glowing blue figure standing before it, the earth behind it undisturbed by the normal type's attack., leaving a horseshoe-like crater in the earth.

Closer to the ground, Ester tentatively opened her eyes and gasped when she saw that crater that surrounded her. Baffled as to what was going on, she noticed the blue light that was coming from right in front of her. Looking up, she gasped when she saw a familiar Pokémon surrounded by a blue light that licked over his form like tongues of fire.

"L-Luke?"

Said Lucario, seeming to not notice the energy that was covering him, stared up at the Regigigas, burning hatred in his eyes. "Don't worry, Ester," he said, his voice surprisingly soft. "I will handle this monstrosity."

"What?!" she gaped, snapping out of her shock. "Are you insane?! All three of us have been fighting this thing and, while we've done damage, it beat all of us!"

"I have caused so much pain," Luke said, seemingly to no one in particular. "Allow me to make up for at least some of it. Besides-" Luke looked down, for the first time seeing the light that surrounded him. "-I know what this power is and what it's capable of. I know I can beat this thing."

"Luke," Ester tried to reason, but stopped when she saw the determination in Luke's now crystalline blue eyes.

"I've got this," Luke said firmly. "Just sit tight." Without wait for a response, Luke jumped into the air with speeds that dwarfed anything he had previously shown.

Almost as if appearing out of thin air, Luke was in Regigigas' face. The legendary tried to step away, but Luke had already unleashed a barrage of swift punches and kicks, each hit cracking through the silence of the night. Regigigas stumbled back, both from pain and surprise from Luke's sudden assault. It lifted and arm to bat Luke away, but Luke managed to kick off the offending arm and jettison himself away from the legendary.

Luke landed lightly before rushing forward, his spikes turning into glowing claws. He reached the giant's legs and viciously attacked its legs with a flurry of metal claws, eliciting a shout of pain from the golem. Regigigas swept an arm towards the Lucario, sending the fighting-steel type flying with a heavy slam.

Luke soared through the air, hissing in pain, before pivoting in the air and landing on his feet. Growling, Luke brought his paws together and formed a large aura sphere. Momentarily taken aback from the size of the aura sphere, and the power behind it, Luke grinned maliciously. With a war cry, Luke launched the aura sphere at the large regi. The attack made contact and exploded, sending the Regigigas stumbling, crying out in pain.

Shaking its head, most likely to rid itself of pain, and flashed its eyes dangerously. It stomped towards Luke, raising its fist to smash the Lucario, but when it swung, Luke jumped over it and landed on its wrist. Luke ran up Regigigas' arm, energy flooding into his paws as he preparing to unleash another close combat. As Luke was about to attack, a blue light engulfed the legendary's forehead and, before Luke could put up any sort of defense, the regi lunged forward, slamming into Luke with a zen headbutt.

Shouting in pain, Luke smashed into the ground, momentarily stunned. Beeping furiously, Regigigas began charging another hyper beam. As it was about to attack, an aura sphere suddenly appeared, slamming into the normal golem's wrist, causing the hyper beam to miss Luke. Eyes wide, Luke quickly pushed back his shock and fired an aura sphere of his own at Regigigas, pushing it away.

Getting to his feet, Luke looked over to where the aura sphere had come from and saw a battered and bruised DJ standing wobbly, his mouth open in shock. "Shining aura?" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

"You can gape all you want later," Luke snarled, forming another aura sphere and firing it at the Regigigas as it was still stunned.

"R-Right," DJ said weakly. He formed his own aura sphere, significantly smaller than Luke's and fired it as well.

The two bombarded the legendary with vicious attacks, but the regi stood firm. Realizing that it was losing, its attacks became more erratic and vicious, seemingly losing any control it had. It attacked at everything that moved with heavy slams and crush grips, sending debris everywhere and forcing the Lucario back. Luke was undeterred by this, but DJ, who had taken a significant amount of damage, was forced to pull back as to not get crushed.

Time went on at a Magcargo's pace as the two Lucario continued to attack the behemoth with vigor, but the regi proved to be hardy. It was clear that the giant was taking damage, but it just kept attacking, albeit at a slower pace. Unfortunately, however, Regigigas was not the only one that was tiring.

DJ's wounds began to take its toll on the poor Lucario. When Regigigas attempted another heavy slam, DJ was too slow to dodge. With a loud crack, DJ was catapulted through the air like a broken rag doll before collapsing limply to the ground, a few short feat away from Ester.

The Regigigas turned towards the downed Lucario, and Ester by default, and Luke saw red. "Get away from her!"

Luke dashed forward, ramming his body into the giant's stomach. As Regigigas stumbled back, Luke stood in front of Ester, extending his arms like he did before. "I won't let you harm her!" he growled.

"Nice to know where I stand," DJ groaned from his place on the ground.

"Shut up," Luke snapped at DJ before turning back towards the regi. "I can see it now, you have suffered like me, consumed by a power you didn't want."

Regigigas beeped angrily, apparently opposed to Luke's words. It brought both of its hands together and began charging another hyper beam. Even seeing this, Luke did not stop talking.

"Unlike you, I had someone to bring me back from the precipice," he said, a strange multi-colored light began to shine on his right paw. "And I will return everything she gave me and free you from your bonds!"

The regi roared and released the beam of of energy at the same time Luke jumped straight towards the legendary. With the attack baring down on him, Luke roared in defiance, the multicolored light that engulfed his paw bursting forth with the intensity of a wild fire. He thrust the glowing paw forward just as he met the hyper beam. Luke's paw tore through the hyper beam, allowing Luke to continue pushing forward. With a final roar, Luke burst out of the beam and hurtled right towards Regigigas' face, his paw still outstretched.

Luke's paw slammed into the giant and a bright blast of multi-colored light erupted from the point of contact, lighting up the field, forcing both DJ and Ester to shield their eyes. When the light finally died down, and DJ and Ester opened their eyes, they saw Luke, precariously balanced on legendary's head. The legendary was as still as a statue, no flashing eyes, no mechanical tones or beeps, nothing.

After several seconds, the giant slowly began to teeter. Both DJ and Ester watched in horror as the giant fell backwards, Luke still situated on its head, and crashed to the ground, dust and debris filling the air.

"Luke!" Ester cried out, unsteadily getting to her feet and running towards the downed Regigigas, DJ limping right behind her.

As they got closer, the duo could what appeared to be black smoke leaking from the legendary's prone form and flowing into the sky and dispersing. At the same time, Regigigas' form shifted colors, becoming white with black lines.

"Luke!" Ester shouted again, reaching the Regigigas' form. "Are you okay."

"I'm fine," Luke said gruffly, stepping out from behind the legendary, still glowing with blue energy.

Ester sighed in relief, grateful that the Lucario was okay. "Thank Arceus."

Luke walked up to Ester, concern flitting in his blue eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Luke," she said. "Thanks to you."

Luke smiled despite himself, his tail wagging lazily in happiness. An awkward cough snapped both Pokémon out of their revere. "Um, I don't mean to intrude," DJ began, "but the dark well is spewing."

True to DJ's words, the dark well was now shaking violently, an occasional flare of shadowy energy leaping out of the stone well. Now that Regigigas was defeated, the trio could now clearly feel the quakes that were shaking the field, stemming from the well.

"This isn't good," Ester said worriedly. "At this rate, the well will gush with negative energy and cover everything in a thousand mile radius!"

"How do we stop it?" DJ asked.

"Well, what did you do last time?" Ester inquired.

"What happened last time, won't work," Luke interjected. "Last time, you light aura overwhelmed my dark aura, forming a creating an attack that was a balance of light and dark. The wells have their own form of defense, stemming from the darkness and negative energy that they store within, and only the energy that they release can even come close to touching it. The darkness within the attack allowed the light to get in close and, together, the two opposing energies were able to, not only destroy the well, but seal of the darkness inside."

"So what, we need darkness to get close?" DJ asked. "Well we're screwed then!"

"Not necessarily," Luke said. "When we came to this world, my master placed a small sliver of the very same darkness from the wells into each of us. This is what caused the primal aura to manifest in us."

"So we can get close and seal it!" DJ exclaimed, gaining a nod from the other Lucario. "Then let's-"

"It's not that simple," Luke interrupted harshly. "If a Pokémon gets close to the dark well when it is activating, or in the process of activating, will be consumed by darkness and end up like Regigigas and the other regis. The shining aura should protect us, but that raises another problem."

"Which is?"

"To seal the well, without the added boost of the darkness attacking, an attack will not be enough to seal the darkness away," Luke answered.

"But, that means..."

"An attack against the well, even from close range, will not stop the well," Ester finished.

"So we _are_ screwed," DJ growled, angry over the helplessness he was feeling.

"As I said, not necessarily," Luke said. "A constant supply of shining aura directly into the well could be enough to seal the well."

"Well that's great!" DJ exclaimed in relief.

"But wait," Ester interrupted, frowning deeply. "To generate that much aura, you would need to..." Her eyes widened in abject horror from some unknown reason. Before she could say anything, Luke was already running towards the well. "LUKE!" she shouted. "NO!"

She tried to run after the Lucario, but tripped and would have fallen if not for DJ caught her. "Ester!" he shouted in alarm. "What's wrong?!"

"In order to produce that much shining aura," Ester began, a grief stricken look on her face, "he'll need to give his very life aura."

DJ's eyes widened in horror as he realized exactly what Luke was about to do. "He's going to sacrifice himself to seal the well."

-Legend-

By the time Luke reached the well, it had erupted. A large gout of dark energy shot from the stone well and entered the night sky, forming a swirling mass of black clouds that slowly began to expand over the entire field.

Luke slowed to a stop a few feet from the well. A thin semi-transparent film of dark energy surrounded the well, slightly distorting and obscuring the well. Knowing that there was no other choice, Luke took a deep breath and stepped through the veil.

Immediately, Luke was met with intense pain, so much so that he nearly collapsed on the spot. Even with his shining aura serving as a partial shield, it was like a storm of needles lancing through all of his nerves. He could not move. He could not breath. He could only think of the pain that he was in.

"I...have to keep...going," Luke managed to say through the pain. However, even with that, he could not find the strength to keep moving, the pain was too intense.

Unable to take it any longer, Luke fell to his knees, his eyes shut tightly and mouth opened in a silent scream of pain. The blue light of his shining aura flickering and dimming to a dull glow.

"No," he growled to himself, punching the ground in frustration. "Not...yet..."

He slowly pushed himself to his feet, opening a single eye to glare at the well. His aura exploded outwards, burning light a wild fire in the midst of the darkness surrounding him. The pain still lanced at him, but he refused to submit to it.

"I can't quit now!" he growled, now standing. He took one step forward followed by another and another, moving slowly towards the dark well.

After what felt like an eternity, Luke managed to reach the well and not a moment too soon as his knees buckled from under him, forcing him to grab the rim of the well to stay up. Panting tiredly, Luke forced himself up, though he still kept a large amount of his weight on the well. The well rumbled threateningly, a particularly large burst negative energy gushing forth, as if the well knew what Luke was planning and trying to scare him off.

"Not gonna work," Luke said through gritted teeth. "I'm not backing down now!" Without another word, the aura that surrounded his body, rushed into his paws before seeping into the stone well.

A loud groan came from the well as Luke's shining aura began to surround the stone work, forming a thin layer of blue energy around it. The ground shook violently, the energy spewing spluttering like a flame in the wind. A blast of wind caring malicious intent rushed out of the well and slammed into the Lucario, almost causing him to lose his grip, but he did not back down.

"I've come too far to give up now," Luke snarled, pushing more aura into the well.

As he pushed more aura into his work, Luke began to feel fatigue. A cold sweat broke out upon his brow, running down his face like a waterfall. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, his eyes beginning to water. He now leaned heavily on the well.

His aura began to wane, fading to a dull glow within his paws. The energy that had already began to cover the well began to recede, the occasional hole popping up and expanding outward as if it were burning paper. If possible, Luke swore he felt glee coming from the well as the energy it was releasing into the sky steadied.

Luke grit his teeth in both frustration and strain as he tried to push more aura into the well, but his own energy was fading and the pain was becoming unbearable. He could not keep it up for much longer.

"LUKE!" Ester's voice echoed, warbling as if going through water.

Said Lucario forced his head to turn to the side so he could gaze at Ester who stood just outside of the veil, DJ a few feet behind her. Even through the rippling barrier, Luke could see pained expression on the Gardevoir's face as she stared helplessly at him.

Seeing her rekindled Luke's fire. He promised that no harm would come to her and he was not going to go back on his promise!

He turned back to the well and with a shout full of determination, his aura roared back to life. Renewed, his aura spread across the well, covering it completely in Luke's aura. The well seemed to roar in outrage, attempting to push more dark energy through, but Luke would not let it.

"I have caused so much pain to this world," he said out loud. "So much so that I'll never be able to atone. But with this, I hope I can make a start!"

He pushed more energy into the well. His entire body began to glow as bright as his shining aura, appearing more like a crystal with each passing second. Luke appeared not to notice this change, too focused in pushing more and more of his aura into the well.

"Luke, you have to stop!" Ester shouted. "It's killing you!"

Luke paid her no mind and kept pushing. Cracks began to form along his glowing body, spreading out from his face down to his feet. He grit his teeth as a new pain began to stab at him, ten times worse than what he felt earlier. As he continued to pump aura into the well, he could feel his very life leave him. His mind began to fade, his breath quickened. This was it.

He gave a final look back to Ester. _Ester...Surge...Alistair...Tobias... I hope that you can forgive me._

Luke closed his eyes for the last time, a smile finding its way onto his face, before pushing everything he had left into the well.

A blinding blue light tore through the darkness, forcing Ester and DJ to avert their gazes. The light burst forth, racing along the energy that the well was releasing and encompassing it. The cloud that had been forming froze before receding into the blue light, leaving the sky clear. The now trapped energy pulsed violently within the blue light, but it could not escape.

The light then began to pull back down to the well, the energy in tow. The well seemed to roar in anger as the energy and light were pulled deep into its depth before an echoing explosion tore through the field, the shockwave knocking Ester and Lucario off their feet, the wind tearing through the field.

The light faded, returning the night to its previous peaceful state. Slowly, Ester and DJ got to their feet, slightly dazed from the blast. When their vision finally focused, they could see that the well was once more inert, a thin veil of bright blue energy shimmering around it.

Ester took an unsteady step forward, her head whipping around frantically. When she saw nothing, she cried out in anguish and fell to her knees. Luke was gone.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Storms Brewing

DJ, Katara, and Leaf stood silently before Tobias, who sat behind his desk. The Gallade had his hands steepled over his desk, his face a blank mask.

"...So it is true?" he asked, breaking the silence. "Luke is dead?"

"Yes, sir," DJ said grimly. "He sacrificed himself to seal away the dark well before it could fully activate."

Tobias nodded slowly, closing his eyes and releasing a soft huff of air. "I see. This is truly upsetting news, despite the good that came from it." A small smile formed on the Gallade's lips. "Even after everything that has happened, there was still a part of him that remained pure."

"He said that he was doing it for Ester," DJ commented, earning a chuckle from Tobias.

"Yes, Ester always was sweet on him, almost motherly in her interactions with him. It comes as no surprise that she was able to reach him. How is she faring?"

"Not well," Leaf answered. "She was almost catatonic when we left, hardly responding to anything. I believe that she blames herself for convincing Luke to join the fight."

"Alistair stayed behind to help console her," Katara added. "He said he'd be back in a few weeks."

Tobias nodded sadly. "I hate that I cannot be there for her, but things have gotten worse." Tobias opened his eyes and pulled out a series of papers and laid them out on his desk.

"What are those?" DJ asked curiously, taking a half step forward.

"Reports of weather changes across the continent," Tobias responded.

"Weather reports?" Katara asked, trying and failing to keep the disbelief from her voice.

"They are not simple weather changes," Tobias said. "There are three separate reports, one of extreme torrential rain, one of a blistering heatwave, and one of hurricane winds."

"What does this mean?" DJ asked.

"It means the Weather Trio are becoming active," Tobias answered.

"The Weather Trio?" Katara repeated fearfully. "You mean Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza?! That Weather Trio?!"

"The very same."

Katara blanched, her expression screaming with apprehension and terror. Even the stoic Leaf appeared greatly unsettled by this new information, his mind racing with potential outcomes.

"Um, judging by your expressions, I'd say that the trio is really strong," DJ said.

"How can you not know about the Weather Trio?!" Katara exclaimed loudly, flailing her arms wildly. "They are some of the strongest legendaries in history."

Tobias raised a hand, stopping Katara's tirade and saving DJ's eardrums. "DJ, the legends surrounding the Weather Trio speaks highly of their power," the Gallade explained calmly. "Kyogre, the legendary of the sea, filled our planet with water and its counterpart, Groudon, the legendary of earth, is said to have created the very land that we walk upon. The duo's very presence caused the weather around them to change and react violently. As you can imagine, the two were bitter enemies and constantly clashed, each battle affecting our world in terrifying ways. With the two continuing to fight, the world was close to collapse and its inhabitants close to extinction. Just when all seemed lost, Rayquaza appeared.

"The green dragon descended from the sky before the quarreling legendaries, stopping their fight. With a single roar, Rayquaza stopped the weather disruptions all across the world. Kyogre and Groudon then returned to their dwellings, their anger quelled by Rayquaza's appearance."

"Wow," DJ gaped. "That's intense."

"Quite," Tobias nodded. "Since these weather changes started, the guildmasters and I have sent out various scouts to pin point the Weather Trio's specific locations. It wasn't until a few days ago that we received results."

"You found them?" Leaf questioned.

"Yes." Tobias turned to Katara, a sad look in his eyes. "Katara, I'm sorry to say that Surge was injured while he was searching for Kyogre."

"Dad?" Katara whispered, sounding lost. "Is...Is he okay?"

"His injuries were severe," Tobias said, not sugar coating it. "He encountered Kyogre while exploring a deep sea dungeon. He was grievously injured, but managed to escape with an escape orb. He is currently under constant watch, but the doctors believe that he'll make a full recovery."

Katara let out a breath of relief. The tensions in her shoulders releasing as she heard that her father would be okay. "Can I...go see him?"

"Normally I'd allow that, but we are in difficult straits," Tobias said regretfully. "With the information we have obtained, we need to act now before the damage that the trio is causing grows."

Katara nodded her head in understanding, though she looked depressed about it. She then felt a soft paw touch her shoulder in a comforting manner. Turning she saw DJ smiling sympathetically at her, sending his own emotions of understanding and support to her. The newly evolved Greninja smiled in response, feeling a bit better.

"With these three legendaries under the control of this darkness, we must act immediately," Tobias continued, drawing attention back onto himself. "Teams Stardust, Sunflare, and Odd Squad will be sent out to combat these legendaries, however, because of the trio's immense power, you will also be working with several guild members from Chrysolis will be there to assist you."

"Wait," DJ said, frowning deeply. "Chrysolis? You don't mean..."

-Legend-

"Spire," DJ growled as he and the others from Gallade's Guild -their guildmaster included- stepped into Charizard's Guild's main room where Team Fireheart, Dire, Oceanus, and Aodhan were waiting.

"Pup," the Charizard responded with a sneer.

"Easy you two," Landon said, getting in between the glaring duo. "We're both on the same side here."

"Whatever," both DJ and Spire said in unison, turning away from the other with an annoyed huff.

The shiny Charizard sighed tiredly at his brother's antics. At the same time, Asura was massaging his forehead. "Dammit DJ."

"Enough," Aodhan grunted from his throne like chair. "We aren't here for petty arguments, we're here to stop these damn legendaries!"

"Eloquently put, Aodhan," Tobias commented sardonically, earning a growl. The Gallade chuckled before sobering up and addressing the assembled Pokémon. "As you all know, the Weather Trio are under the same darkness that consumed Zygarde all those weeks ago."

"What _is_ this darkness?" Specter asked bluntly. Unlike Guise, Specter did not exude malice, just mischief, though it was muted behind his worry.

Tobias glanced at Aodhan, seemingly having a silent conversation, before he turned back to the Gengar. "We, being the other guildmasters and I, believe that this darkness is a result of the dark wells."

"WHAT?!" Oceanus yelled, jolting to the point where the Gyarados' head slammed into the ceiling.

"Oceanus!" Aodhan barked. "Calm yourself!"

"Yes Guildmaster," the sea serpent said sheepishly.

"I hate to say it, but I find myself agreeing with Oceanus' sentiment," Aquilla said, flipping his 'hair' out of his eyes. "How is it possible that the dark wells are involved? Are they activating?"

"Unfortunately, yes, the wells appear to be in the process of activating," Tobias responded grimly, causing muttering to break out among those from Aodhan's guild.

"S-Seriously?!"

"The dark wells are really activating?"

"I thought they were just a myth! How is this happening?!"

"Now, now," Tobias said, pulling everyone's attention back to him. "While we believe that the wells are activating, it is uncertain when they will actually happen. It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be several months from now."

"If that were the case then how are the legendaries being taken over like this?" Scorch, now an Emboar, demanded.

"From what we have gathered from, not only the legendaries that have been defeated, but also several others that have been under this influence, there is someone that is purposely infecting the legendaries with this darkness," Tobias answered.

"Do we know who this Pokémon is?" Geyser questioned.

"Unfortunately, no."

"Enough of this senseless chatter!" Aodhan snapped suddenly. "We're not here to focus on the dark wells or this supposed 'mastermind'. This is about the Weather Trio and nothing more!"

"Thank you, Aodhan. We _were_ getting off topic" Tobias said. "Now, onto why you're all here. We have found the locations of all three of the Weather Trio. They are much to powerful for a single team to face so we have decided to combine all of you together into three groups to face down each legendary."

"All of us..." Landon began, eyes wide.

"...Together?" Spire finished, his face a picture of shock. "That's crazy!"

"It's our only option," Aodhan said gruffly. "These three are some of the strongest out there. We cannot afford to treat them as anything but dangerous."

"But aren't all of us together a bit overkill?" Kimberly questioned.

"Better to be over prepared then under prepared," Tobias said sagely.

"I guess that makes sense," Kimberly accepted.

"Good," Tobias said. "Now for the teams..."

"Don't we get to pick the teams?" Davis questioned.

"No, _we_ already chose the teams," Aodhan answered before Tobias could. "We have chosen the teams based on typing and the environment your quarry is found in."

"Fine," Davis huffed, turning his head with a scoff.

Aodhan growled threateningly at the Togekiss, but said nothing. "Anyway, the team that will be going after Groudon will be as follows." Aodhan pulled out a sheet of paper and read out aloud. "Landon, Scorch, Gaea, Geyser, Specter, Alex, Collin, Kimberly, Katara, and Bertha."

"Those facing Kyogre will be Asura, Leaf, Garfield, Jet, Blitz, Blade, Jesse, Katerina, Oceanus, Shima, and Malum," Tobias added, reading from his own list.

"And those going after Rayquaza will be Spire, Aquila, Dire, Winter, Max, Tyler, Jackson, Grace, Drake, Davis, and DJ," Aodhan finished, tossing the paper aside. "You all will leave immediately and I expect you all to be finished by tomorrow!"

"Let's be a little more realistic," Tobias suggested, chuckling anxiously before becoming serious again. "You all need to be careful in these battles, legendaries are incredibly powerful, these three especially. You'll need to keep your wits about you."

"Understood," Asura said determinedly.

"This will be a cake walk," Spire scoffed, not at all worried.

"That's my boy!" Aodhan said with a wide, proud grin.

Tobias just shook his head as the two Charizard ignored his warnings. "Just be careful and leave immediately. "

-Legend-

 **Magma Cavern: Landon and co.**

The first group, upon traveling to Groudon's dungeon, witnessed first hand the damage that the continental Pokémon was causing. The scarce flora that grew in the area was all brown and dying. The sun seemed to burn brighter in the sky, unimpeded by clouds. Rivers and lakes had fully evaporated, leaving the water dwellers helpless into the dry beds. Even the wind itself seemed to burn as it whipped across their faces.

With a sense of urgency, the group entered the cavern dungeon that held the ground type legendary. Dry and blistering air blew through the dungeon, stemming from the dark red walls themselves. Small craters and cracks bubbled with red hot magma, adding to the heat of the dungeon. The air constantly undulated under the oppressive warmth of the dungeon, causing all of the non fire types to break out in a sweat.

"Geez it's hot," Bertha rasped.

"What'd you expect? It's called _Magma_ Cavern. Not Cool and Temperate Cavern," Scorch sneered, earning a bone club to the back of his head. "OW! What the hell?!"

"Sarcasm isn't attractive," Bertha huffed, turning her head in a regal manner.

The Emboar growled angrily, but was stopped from acting on his anger by Landon. "We don't have time to argue with one another. We need to get to Groudon," the shiny Pokémon said.

"Then we need to get a move on because we're about to have company!" Gaea shouted, pointing behind the group.

The group turned and were immediately met with the visage of a giant rock snake baring down on them. The Onix reared up, glaring hatefully at the group. It opened its mouth to roar when a wave of murky water slammed into the large snake, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Kimberly commented, unimpressed.

"Good to know tubby's good for something," Specter joked before he started to sweat when Kimberly turned to glare at him.

"The hell did you say?" Kimberly demanded, her tone taking on a dangerous edge.

"Uh..." Specter's eyes shifted frantically, searching for something to get him out of his current situation. "I said...Oh look! The Onix is getting back. Up!"

As the Gengar said, the Onix was indeed getting up, though very slowly. The rock snared growled lowly, giving Kimberly an angry stare. With a roar that shook its entire body, the Onix summoned a flurry of rocks that raced towards the the Swampert.

Before the stones got even close to Kimberly, multiple spinning stars of compressed water flew at the stones, cutting through them and continuing on towards the Onix. The rock type screeched in pain as the stars cut across its form before it fell forward, this time not getting back up.

"Can we go now?" Katara asked, stepping forward to make sure that the Onix was unconscious. "Pokémon are suffering from the effects of these legendaries you know."

"I agree with the Greninja," Geyser gurgled. "Let's get this over with. I'm drying out!"

"Yes, let's get a move on," Landon said agreeably. "This is a longer dungeon so monster houses and traps are most likely present. Proceed with caution."

"You act like we've never been in a high tier dungeon before," Alex scoffed, tilting his head upwards in a regal manner. "We're all members of diamond rank teams. This is nothing new."

The Ninetails then walked past the Charizard, ignoring his attempts to call him back. The fire fox just scoffed and made to leave the room when a faint click was heard from right under him. Before the Ninetails could move, a blast of green liquid shot up from the ground, covering Alex from head to toe with green viscous fluid.

"Guh! It's sticky!" Alex bemoaned, trying, and failing, to remove the gunk from his fur.

Katerina walked over to the distressed Ninetails and scooped a small dollop of the goo with her claw and held it up to her eyes. "Sticky trap," she said, observing the green goo. "This stuff covers and item and makes it useless." She glanced at Alex. "It also is a pain to get out of fur."

"GAH!" Alex cried out, getting head shakes and sweat-drops from the rest of the group.

-Legend-

 **Stormy Sea: Asura and co.**

Just like the other group, those seeking out Kyogre were met with devastation. Instead of incredible heat and drought, the area near the coast where the dungeon was located was experiencing torrential rains. Black clouds covered the entirety of the sky and gushed sheets of water down to the earth below. Rivers were flooding, dams were breaking under the influx of water, crops and other vegetation had been drowned and sunk in the muddy soil. This made the dungeon even more difficult to get to.

Stormy Sea was a strange dungeon. To get there, for one, the team had to sail into the middle of the incredibly tough and choppy ocean and, literally, take a leap of faith into the waters below. After sinking a few feet, the group was found themselves miraculously in an underwater cave of sorts. The floors were covered by inch high water, pools of deep water could be seen every few feet or so. The walls were a teal colored stone, with bits of green coral sprouting out here and there.

Another thing that was strange about the dungeon was the Pokémon that inhabited the dungeon. Many of the water Pokémon were streamline or water dwelling. Meaning, that Pokémon that should not have been able to move outside of water, like Huntail or Relicanth, were some how able to 'swim' in an inch of water.

"How the hell are they swimming?!" Blitz shouted, sending a blast of electricity at a Gorebyss that was getting too close. "There's like an _inch_ of water on the ground."

"Another mystery of the the mystery dungeons," Garfield replied dryly.

"Could I get some help over here?!" Malum shouted as an Octillery proceeded to try and choke her. "It's getting hard to breathe over here!"

A pool of water nearby the group began to ripple violently before Oceanus exploded out of the water. He roared fiercely and slammed the Octillery away with a brutal aqua tail. A sound reminiscent of a deflating balloon came from the eight-limbed water type as it was jettisoned away. With a splat, the water type hit a wall and slumped to the ground.

"Thanks Oceanus," Malum said gratefully, struggling to catch her breath.

"Don't thank me yet," Oceanus growled just as another Gyarados exploded out of the pool. The new sea serpent roared ferally and tackled Oceanus, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a writhing mess of violently flailing tails.

On the opposite side of the room, Leaf, Shima, Blade, and Jesse, were fighting a trio of incredibly hardy Relicanth. They pushed the rock-water types back, their type advantages allowing them to do a significant amount of damage. Just as they got them to back away, Asura jumped right in the middle of them and knocked them all out with a three thunder punches.

"This is getting tedious," Asura muttered, glancing around at the multitude of Pokémon that filled the room.

"Monster houses always are," Shima said, panting lightly from exertion.

Leaf did not pay attention to the conversing duo, instead he looked around. There were still several dungeon Pokémon still in fighting conditions and while Leaf had no doubt that they could have beaten them, time was an issue. Nodding to himself, he pulled out a blue orb with a flourish and activated it.

The orb released a pulse of energy that washed through the entire floor. When the energy came into contact with a dungeon Pokémon they would cease up and were unable to move.

"The hell?!" Oceanus shouted as the Gyarados he was fighting suddenly froze mid-attack.

"Foe-hold orb," Leaf replied simply.

"And _why_ didn't you use it earlier?" Jet questioned/demanded.

"I only had the one," Leaf answered. "If we encounter another monster house then we will be on our own."

"Great," Asura muttered. "Let's hope the others are making better progress then we are."

-Legend-

 **Sky Pillar: DJ and co.**

Wind whipped violently upon the lands below sky pillar. Trees were uprooted and tossed around like the leaves that they bore. The cliff face the canyon that sat just below the aerial dungeon was crumbling and breaking apart under the intense winds, making it dangerous for anyone to get near. Tornadoes and hurricanes were a constant, tearing through the lands and villages in the region, leaving many without homes.

"We're standing on freaking clouds!" Spire shouted with almost child-like glee as he stomped on the floor, or rather clouds.

After meeting with an Alakazam, an old friend of Tobias', the group was teleported with the help of a teleport gem, similar to the ones in their badges, to Sky Pillar. The domain of Rayquaza, as Spire had said, was made up completely of clouds. The cloud in question were strangely blue in color, almost reflecting the skies below them. The walls, on the other hands, were the normal white color that one would normally expect to see when they looked at clouds, just more tightly compacted. There were small tears in the floor from where the clouds met, forcing the group to be cautious as to not accidentally fall through, or at least get a foot stuck.

"We heard you the first ten times," Grace said patiently, though her voice was beginning to become strained.

"But we're on actual clouds!" Spire stressed as if they were not understanding.

"We know!" Max snapped, his own patience running out. "We can all see it!"

"Can we maybe focus on the mission and _not_ on the landscape?" Davis question. "Or lack there of?"

"Or maybe we can focus on the Dragonite flying towards us," DJ supplied.

"What are you talking about?" Spire questioned, not believing the Lucario. "There's no-"

Spire turned to where DJ was indicating to prove the aura Pokémon wrong, but trailed off when he came face to face with a scowling orange dragon. The Dragonite stood a few inches taller than Spire, forcing the Charizard to look up into angry feral eyes. The Dragonite glared for several seconds before roaring right in Spire's face, causing him to give a rather feminine scream and jump back.

Dragonite, by nature, were typically kindhearted and docile by nature, but, as is typical in a relative sense, mystery dungeons changed them.

The enraged Dragonite reared itself to its full height, flaring out its wings in an intimidating manner. A ball of wild purple energy pooled in the dragon's mouth before it released a large hyper beam at the group, forcing them to scatter.

Spire, surprisingly enough, recovered first and lunged at the large dragon, raking his claw, that were coated in green dragon type energy, across the Dragonite's stomach. The dragon Pokémon screeched in agony, but responded immediately with a dragon claw of its own.

"Grah!" Spire roared, both in pain and anger. Tail flame building in strength, Spire unleashed a point blank fire blast at the dragon, causing it to go flying across the room, smashing into the clouds, a puff of mist erupting from around it.

As soon as the Dragonite started to get up, Grace leapt into action. With a swing of her second mouth, a tornado of pink wind was created and sent towards the stunned dungeon Pokémon. Unable to move away, the Dragonite was swept up by the winds and trapped within the violent vortex of fairy wind.

"Winter!" Spire shouted to the Weavile.

"On it!" The Weavile running over to Grace. Without further delay, The Weavile swung her arms and released a powerful blizzard. The amalgamation of snow, sleet, and freezing wind mixed with the pink vortex, dealing even more damage to the trapped Dragonite.

The dragon-flying type screamed in pain as it was bombarded with fairy and ice type energies. When the swirling vortex finally petered out, the Dragonite fell limp. Bruised, cut, and covered in ice, the Dragonite fell to the ground unconscious.

"Well that was eventful," Tyler commented.

"You could have helped," Spire spat spitefully.

"You seemed to have it handled," Tyler said nonchalantly.

"How about we just keep moving," Aquilla said, flying between the Charizard and Larion, stopping the impending argument. "We _are_ on a time crunch."

"Fine," Spire growled reluctantly.

-Legend-

 **Magma Cavern: Deepest Chamber**

The group made their way down to the deepest part of the dungeon, a large chamber with streams of lava spewing from the opposite wall like twin waterfalls. The lava flow trickled to the ground, wrapping around a circular platform in the center of the chamber. The only way to the platform was a rather narrow stone bridge.

The exploration members tentatively trekked over the bridge and to the platform. They all looked around for Groudon, but the only thing they could see was the same deep red stone of the dungeon and the pouring lava.

"What the hell? It's not here!" Scorch shouted angrily.

"This is the deepest part of the dungeon, right?" Bertha asked, looking around confusedly.

"This is as far as it is reported to go," Landon assured, a frown marring his face.

"Then where the hell is Groudon?" Katerina questioned.

Before any of the group could say anything a low rumble shook the room. " **...Who dares distub my domain?** "

The group was immediately put on guard as the voice rumbled through the chamber. They moved closer to each other, forming a circle as to not be surprised.

" **Speak now mortals,** " the voice growled when no one answered.

Landon took a step forward, delegating himself as the spokesman of the group. "I take it you are Groudon?"

" **I am,** " the voice confirmed. " **Why have you come to my domain?** "

"We have come to stop you and put an end to the weather changes you are causing in this region," Landon answered confidently, betraying the knot of fear that rested in his stomach.

There was silence for several seconds before a ground shaking roar echoed through the chamber with enough force to cause the group to stumble. " **You dare come into my domain and speak such words?** " Groudon questioned, his voice edged with blatant danger. " **I will not stand for it!** "

The lava pool in front of the platform began to quiver and bubble. Lava began to overflow and seep onto the platform, not enough to reach the group, but enough to give the impression that something was moving below the molten rock. Slowly, something began to emerge, the burning lava spilling off of it as it began to ascend. A large, black, ridged head burst from the molten material, followed by a pair of deep red, hate filled eyes.

The exploration members watched in awe as a prehistoric Pokémon, much larger than a Tyrantrum, towered above them. The Pokémon stood over sixteen feat in height and was covered in coal black plates. The seams between the plates, including the ones around its face and eyes, looked as if magma was coursing through them and ash gray spikes jutted out of its body, running down the sides of its head, body, and serrated tail. Its underbelly was the same color as its spikes and three razor sharp claws came from its hands and feet. On both of its arms the Greek symbol omega was imprinted.

The legendary glared down at the group and roared in challenge. " **You will not leave this place alive.** "

-Legend-

 **Stormy Sea: Sea Floor**

Asura's group stepped out into a wide chamber. The same turquoise stone of the rest of the dungeon made up of formed a series of large platforms sat placidly over top of a giant pool of sea water, spread out almost like a checkerboard. A larger area of open water was lay just beyond the platforms.

A teal green light illuminated the chamber, stemming from a luminescent coral that grew on the walls, both above and below the water. Looking down, even with the glow of the coral, the group could not see the bottom.

The team cautiously made their way out over to the platforms, the stones just being big enough to hold two Pokémon each. They all looked around warily as the water type could pop out anywhere. After a few minutes of no movement, a serene, yet hard voice spoke out.

" **So, you have come.** "

"Who said that?!" Blitz yelped, looking around frantically.

" **I am Kyogre,** " the voice answered, sounding distinctly female. " **And you are trespassing in my domain.** "

"We are here to stop you, Kyogre," Asura stated, his eyes roaming over the deceptively calm waters for any sign of the legendary.

" **Stop me?** " Kyogre asked, the faintest hint of amusement filtering into her voice. " **You believe that you are capable of stopping me? A foolish sentiment.** "

"What you're doing is causing harm to Pokémon everywhere!" Jet shouted. "This rain is killing everything!"

" **I am very much aware of that fact,** " Kyogre responded.

"It is no use arguing," Leaf said. "The darkness is clouding Kyogre's mind. She is not herself."

" **Not myself,** " Kyogre repeated. " **On the contrary, my mind has not clearer.** "

The open water in front of the platforms began to bubble violently as a dark shape began to rise from the depths. Emerging from the water was an massive Pokémon, almost thirty-three feat in length. Its skin was primarily an inky black with dark red lines running down its back. Eight trailing parts, four on each side, a translucent webbing connecting them to each other.

It had two large pectoral fins were on either side of the legendary with four square gray 'nails' on each fin and a dark blue alpha symbol, with dark maroon lines that connect the outer nails to the inner nails and the center of the symbol glowing a deep red. On its forehead was the same symbol that it had on each fin, this one connected to two red ovals on either side of its head.

The darkened legendary stared impassively at the group in front of her, her red eyes glowing with boredom, as if the group was beneath her notice. " **This world has been polluted by greed and strife. It must be washed clean so a new utopia can be birthed.** "

"So you plan of flooding the entire world to reach that goal?" Oceanus demanded, slipping into the water and glaring defiantly at the legendary.

" **If I must, yes,** " Kyogre responded. " **If you seek to stop me...** "

The waters began to ripple and swirl violently, bowing to Kyogre's influence. The pressure in the chamber increased tenfold, becoming almost stifling.

Kyogre's eyes seemed to glow with energy. " **...then you shall become another group of souls lost to the sea.** "

-Legend-

 **Sky Pillar: Pinnacle**

The final group reached the the final floor of the billowing tower of clouds, an open room with no ceiling. Unlike the floors below, the clouds that mad up the room were slightly darker, like the ones that formed before a storm hit. Through the open ceiling, the bright sun beat down on them, a cool breeze blowing through the room.

"Rayquaza's...not here?" Davis said, looking around the empty room.

"It would appear so," Grace said, moving deeper into the room.

The rest of the group soon followed the shiny Mawile, looking cautious. DJ brought up the rear, deciding to hang back and use his aura sense to try and find any trace of the legendary. Just as his second vision activated, and everything went blue, a presence appeared right behind him.

"Wha-" Before DJ could finish his sentence, dark tendrils wrapped around his arms and face, covering his mouth, before everything faded from view and the feeling of being pulled through a thin tube enveloped his body.

"DJ?" Grace asked, hearing him. She turned around, but saw no sign of the Lucario. "Has anyone seen DJ?"

"He was right behind us," Drake said, frowning.

"What the hell?!" Spire shouted. "We're supposed to be fighting a legendary, not gallivanting around like-"

Whatever he was going to say was lost as a violent gust of wind rushed blew through the room. A distant roar echoed in the distant followed by a clap of thunder. Everyone looked skywards the group watched in awe as a large black serpentine creature descended from the sky. It had two rudder-like wings, dipped in red, on its shoulders and down its body. Dark red rings trailed down its body from its head to its tail. It had two three clawed hands and two flat horns on its head with two shorter horns along its jaw. It had prominent red gums with two distinct fangs poking out of its upper jaw.

Two blood red, beady eyes regarded the group in front of the legendary. " **I am Rayquaza!** " the beast roared. " **Speak your purpose here and I will make your deaths swift and painless!** "

"That's not a very good deal," Jackson commented.

"We're here to stop the damage you're causing!" Spire shouted.

" **Stop me? You fools can't even begin to comprehend the power I possess!** " Rayquaza scoffed. " **I am the legendary of the wind, the guardian of the skies. The very air is my domain and power! You cannot hope to compare to me!** "

"Wow, he's as big of a blowhard as Spire," Dire said.

"What was that, mutt?!" Spire snarled.

"Boys!" Grace snapped, causing both Pokémon to fall silent. She turned back to the large serpent and glared. "I frankly don't care who or what you are," she said. "You are causing problems for Pokémon everywhere and we will stop you!"

Rayquaza lowered his head so that he was on eye level with Grace. The two stared at the other for several seconds before Rayquaza threw back his head and let out a belly laugh. " **You...You believe that you can defeat me? Hilarious. I haven't laughed like this in decades!** "

After two minutes of straight laughing, the dragon seemed to regain control of himself. Miming wiping away a tear, the Rayquaza looked back down at the assembled group. " **If you truly wish to fight me, then I won't stop you. However...** "

A bright red flash erupted from the legendary, enveloping his entire body. Recognizing the light, the group watched in horror as the legendary's form elongated. The horns, fins, and jaw all shifted shape as the legendary evolved further. The light soon dispersed, revealing Rayquaza's new form.

Along the length of Rayquaza's body, in place of the rings that he had on his previous form, were red glowing orbs, the body segments that housed these orbs were gray in color. His fins were now dipped in red, the ones on his tail being completely red. Its two upper horns were much longer with glowing tendrils that end in a circular shape with a spike. Rayquaza's lower horns were also longer and framed in dark red and took on a triangular shape with glowing tendrils stretching out to his tail. On the legendary's forehead was a delta symbol.

The mega legendary grinned evilly down at the group, red eyes flashing with malicious intent. " **I will not hold myself back for you sake.** "

-Legend-

 **Unknown Location**

DJ's vision returned a second later and he found himself on paws and knees, gasping. "What the hell...was that?!" he panted.

Giving a slight cough, DJ pushed himself to his feet and looked around and when he did, he could not stop a gasp from escaping his lips. He was standing on a large stone platform that appeared to be floating in the middle of some kind of space. The 'sky' appeared to be fluctuating from pink to orange, shifting in a way that resembled a kaleidoscope. Walking to the edge of the platform and peering over, DJ saw that the multicolored void just went on an on without any apparent end.

"Something tells me I'm not in Sky Pillar any more," DJ mumbled. He went to bend over further to get a better look when a low hum from behind him nearly sent the Lucario careening over. Whirling around, DJ came face to face with one of the most bizarre looking Pokémon he had ever seen.

Standing before DJ was a thin bipedal alien, for lack of a better word. It was primarily black in color with two tapering legs with a small segmented, vertical strip running down the upper portion. Its arms, or rather, tentacles were twisted around each other in a helix. The upper tendril being black in color and the lower a dark blue. The creature's face was the same dark blue as its lower tendrils, with a red strip running down the center of it and black, flat, rectangular protrusions poking out the sides of its head. In the center of its chest was a ruby red crystal that pulsed with energy.

The creature's tentacles unraveled themselves and swished madly in the air, unnerving DJ. "Okay, that's creepy," he said.

The tendrils then wrapped themselves around themselves again, though much tighter than before. DJ watched in awed disgust as the tendrils squished up against the other, fusing together as if made of dough. Slowly the combined tentacles formed five fingered hands. The creature stretched and wiggled its fingers, seemingly growing accustomed to its new appendages.

"I stand corrected. _That_ was creepy," DJ muttered.

Seemingly just noticing DJ, the creature turned its head and regarded the Lucario with an unreadable expression, however, instead of addressing him, the creature just stared at DJ. After several minutes of awkward silence, DJ began to fidget.

"Who, or what are you?" DJ finally asked, breaking the silence only to be met with more silence. "Can you even talk?"

The creature did not respond, simply continuing to stare blankly at the aura Pokémon. DJ growled in annoyance at the creature's silence. "What the hell do you want?! Why am I here?!"

That seemed to garner a response out of the creature. Its eyes suddenly flashed with energy before twin bolts of black energy shot out of them and raced towards DJ.

DJ yelped in surprise, jumping to the side as the energy bolts exploded against the platform, sending a chuck of stone plummeting into the abyss. DJ wobbled unsteadily, having landed on the edge of the platform, before regaining his footing and glaring at the creature.

"Okay, so that's how it's going to be," DJ growled, touching his mega stone and activating his evolution. The newly evolved mega Lucario flexed his fingers and sent a steeling glare at the strange creature. "If you won't give me answers then I'll just have to beat them out of you!"

The creature's arms separated into four tendrils in response. They raised into the air, shifting in a threatening manner. Its previous blank gaze burned with fury as it prepared itself to destroy DJ.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Calming of the Storms

 **Magma Cavern:**

" **Insects!** " Groudon roared trying to bat a mega evolved Landon out of the sky with a large claw. Landon dodged deftly and responded with an empowered flamethrower, causing the continental Pokémon to roar in pain.

"Keep on him, Landon!" Gaea shouted as she attempted to drag Scorch out of the way of the battle. The Emboar had been knocked unconscious along with Geyser and Alex, the former being knocked unconscious, the former was defeated due to her water type moves being rendered useless due to Groudon's ability.

"That's what I'm doing," Landon grumbled, dodging a lava plume.

"I'm up!" Bertha shouted, bursting out of the pile of rubble Groudon had buried her under. "How're we doing?"

"Not very good," Katara said. She, like Geyser lost her ability to use water attacks due to the intense heat that the ground-fire was giving off. As such, she only had two moves that she could actually use.

"Less talking, more fighting!" Specter shouted, flying towards the colossal Pokémon. When he was several yards away from the legendary, he reared his fist back and punched forward, releasing a fist made up of shadows towards Groudon.

The ground-fire type turned just in time to receive a shadow punch to his face, the force causing his head to snap to the side. Unfortunately for Specter, Groudon turned his head back around and glared murderously at the Gengar. It roared in anger and swung a claw towards Specter, causing the ghost to yelp and dive out of the way.

With Scorch out of the way, Gaea returned to the battle and slammed into the much larger Pokémon with a rollout. Groudon howled in pain, attempting to stomp on the Sandslash, but missed. Gaea, uncurling herself, punched the with a clawed fist, generating a visible shockwave that raced across the ground towards the giant. Despite the initial fear of the sheer size of the legendary, its massiveness proved to be a blessing in disguise as the large Pokémon had difficulty dodging, meaning most of their attacks were able to make contact with it.

The wave exploded against the legendary's leg, eliciting another howl of pain from the Groudon. Despite the consecutive super effective attacks, the Groudon was nowhere close to being done. The legendary had taken hit after hit and kept coming as if nothing had happened, its armor proving to be an effective buffer to the group's attacks. However, it did appear that the legendary was tiring, proving that the group was injuring it.

" **I will not have my power undermined by fools!** " the Groudon growled lowly. " **Begone!** "

With a roar, the legendary punched the the ground with an incredible amount of force, cratering the ground under his fist. Not even a second later, spears of earth erupted from the ground and raced towards Gaea.

The Sandslash gaped in fear as the multitude of spears raced towards her. Just as the spears were about to impale her, Collin appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the Sandslash around her middle and leaping away.

"Thanks," Gaea breathed out, calming her rapidly beating heart.

"No problem," Collin said, setting her down and shooting out an overheat attack at the Groudon.

The legendary growled, lifting his arm to block the rush flames. A drawback to the continental Pokémon's ability was that fire type moves were greatly empowered, causing Collin's flamethrower to do more damage, despite Groudon's resistance.

As Collin continued to blast the legendary with fire, Kimberly circled around the giant and grinned evilly. "Take this asshole!" she shouted as she spat out several globs of mud at the ground-fire type's back.

The mud splattered against the colossal Pokémon's back, appearing to do nothing, but Groudon's shout of pain told otherwise. " **GRAH!** " Groudon shouted, arching his back instinctively. As he did, the arm that was protecting him from Collin's flames lowered, causing the flames to slam into his face.

Not wanting to be out done, Landon flew overhead and released a large blast of solar energy down upon the legendary. The ray of sunlight slammed upon the legendary's head, forcing it to lower several degrees. Groudon roared in outrage, trying to raise his head, but Landon's attack was too powerful. He was essentially frozen in place.

" **Damn you all...** " Groudon growled, struggling furiously to move its body.

Seeing the Groudon begin to move, Katara and Bertha ran towards his legs. Wielding a bone and blade made of dark purple energy respectively, Bertha and Katara smashed and slashed at the the Groudon's left leg. Groudon roared in pain and fell to one knee, nearly crushing Katara and Bertha.

"We've got him on the ropes!" Bertha shouted, running back at the downed legendary. "Keep attacking!"

The Marrowak leapt into the air and slammed her bone against the legendary's head with a resounding crack. A second later, Gaea rushed past her and smashed into the Groudon with a rollout attack.

Groudon grunted in pain from the twin attacks that connected with his head. His red eyes burned with rage as attacks continued to bombard him. Now, on his hands and knees, his rage boiled over.

" **ENOUGH!** " Groudon roared, the lava-like veins from between his segments glowed brightly as a mass of fire and smoke erupted from his body and exploded outwards in all directions.

Caught off guard, the attacking group was blindsided by the surprise lava plume attack. The smoke and flames swallowed the group, flinging them backwards and away from the Groudon, ceasing all but Landon's attack. With two of the three attacks that were keeping him in place gone, Groudon moved out from under the solar beam and lashed out at the Charizard with a crush claw.

Landon only had time to gasp before he was barreling towards the ground and blinding speeds from the legendary's attack. With no way to pull up in time, Landon crashed into the ground with a cacophonous boom. The fire-flying type groaned in pain, his body partially embedded into the red stone.

Groudon panted heavily, his body taxed from the brutal assault he had been subjected to. " **To think...that I was pushed so far by mortals,** " he growled, glancing at his attackers who were all strewn across the ground, several of them dangerously close to the lava pool. " **You have lost and your lives are now forfeit.** "

He stomped over to the Charizard, who was just starting to get up. " **I will start with you!** " Landon stared fearfully as Groudon raised his foot, intending to step on the mega Charizard. " **I shall crush you like the bug you are!** "

Just before the Groudon could bring his foot down, Specter burst out of a shadow and punched the Groudon in the stomach with a sucker punch. Caught completely off guard, Groudon stumbled back before falling onto his back, causing the platform to shake and lava to spill onto it.

The Legendary cracked open its eyes in time to see Alex and Geyser, now conscious, blast him with a fire spin and a flurry of mod bombs respectively. The two attacks slammed into his unprotected stomach, tearing a roar of pain from the legendary.

"I'm ending this now," Scorch said, getting to his feet and snorting flames from his nose. With an incredible amount of spryness for one of his size, the Emboar leapt high into the air. As he reached the apex of his jump, flames burst out around him, turning him into a large meteor that plummeted towards the Groudon.

Alex and Geyser ceased their attacks and moved away as Scorch collided with the prone legendary with a brutal heat crash. The ensuing explosion rocked the platform and causing the lava to slosh around dangerously. Steam, smoke, and debris flew into the air, blanketing the entire platform in obscurity.

The smoke slowly filtered away, revealing the group, all of whom were standing feebly, visibly tired, and the unconscious form of Groudon. A second later, a shadows lifted off of the legendary's body, joining the smoke, causing the Groudon to turn from black to red.

"Thank Arceus," Katara sighed in relief.

"Let's get out of here and report back," Landon said, his own relief showing on his face.

-Legend-

 **Stormy Sea:**

"Get back here and fight fair!" Blitz shouted irritably as Kyogre dove back under water.

That had been the gist of the legendary's battle strategy. She would pop up to attack the group with blasts of water and ice before diving back into the depths to avoid attacks. Both Garfield and Blitz attempted to electrify the water with bolts of electricity, but it appeared that the legendary was gunning for them at the start.

" **Why would I do such a thing?** " Kyogre questioned, surfacing a ways away from the group. " **This is battle is one of life and death. Why would I fight under your rules?** "

"We aren't trying to kill you," Asura said.

" **True, but I am.** " With that, Kyogre leapt into the air, several orbs of glowing blue water appeared before her. Then, in the blink of an eye, the orbs exploded outward, becoming high pressured blasts of water that raced towards the group.

"Move!" Asura shouted, jumping off of his platform.

The rest of the group followed the Medicham's lead as the various beams of high pressured water closed in. The beams exploded against the platforms, exploding and destroying several of the platforms upon impact. Pieces of stone and water sprayed everywhere as the ruins of the destroyed platforms sank into the water.

Asura landed nimbly on a new platform and surveyed the damage. "Is everyone-" The Medicham was cut off as Kyogre suddenly surfaced and rammed into his platform. Unprepared for the sudden impact, Asura wobbled precariously in the platform before he fell into the water.

"Asura!" Jet shouted before diving into the water.

Asura sank several feet, still partially stunned. He opened his eyes in time to see Kyogre speeding towards him at alarming speeds. Just before the legendary could slam into the Medicham, Jet rocketed through the water using aqua jet and grabbed Asura, pulling him out of the way of the attack.

The Floatzel quickly swam to the surface with his friend in tow. "You okay, Asura?" Jet asked as they broke the surface.

"I'm fine," Asura said, coughing lightly, "but we should get out of the water before she-"

Asura was once more interrupted as Kyogre suddenly slammed into them from below with a double edge attack. The duo was jettisoned from the water and sent flying through the air, miraculously landing on another platform. Kyogre allowed herself a moment to gloat at the damage she had caused when two bolts of electricity arched through the air and slammed into her.

The water type shrieked in pain as electricity arched through her body before she dove back under, escaping the attack. Blitz growled in annoyance from his spot next to his brother.

"Oh come on!" the Pikachu raged.

"Step aside, rookie. I've got this!" Oceanus said boastfully before diving into the water.

Not a second later, the Gyarados was blasted out of the water with a large eruption of water. The atrocious Pokémon cried out in pain as he was flung through the air like a rag doll, landing with a painful splash.

" **Fool,** " Kyogre said, rising out of the water. " **You cannot defeat me in my own terrain.** "

"Idiot," Malum sighed, sparing a glance at the groaning Oceanus. "I guess I have to do everything."

With a sigh Malum hopped to the platform closest to Kyogre and plunged her claws into the water. Her eyes discreetly shone blue as she began to weave an illusion. The water shimmered slightly before ice began to spread over top of it, heading towards the Kyogre. Katerina, recognizing the use of illusions, raced towards the other Zoroark and assisted her in the illusion.

The illusionary ice creeped over the water, reaching Kyogre before she could submerge. The ice surrounded the sea basin Pokémon, causing her to believe that she was immobilized.

"Hit her now!" Malum shouted.

"On it!" Garfield shouted as he released a powerful thunderbolt.

"Eat this!" Blitz shouted, sending out his own blast of electricity.

The twin bolts slammed into the legendary, causing her to scream in pain. Not one to be out done, Blade took to the sky before releasing a large blast of metallic gray energy from his pincers. Shima too joined in, hurling an large energy ball at the trapped Kyogre.

The legendary continued to howl in pain as the attacks slammed into her. She opened an eyes to glare at her attackers and hissed, " **Enough of this!** " Lifting a free flipper she slammed it into the ice, passing through it and impacting against the water. As soon as she did this a large tidal wave erupted from the ice, shattering the illusion and racing towards the group.

The wave reached the platforms and completely engulfed them along with their inhabitants. The surf swallowed up Kyogre's attackers flinging them all around. When the water finally stilled, almost all of the group members were frantically treading water and making their way to the remaining platforms.

The legendary panted lightly from pain and exertion. She glared at the group, her eyes burning with anger and annoyance. She roared loudly, forming several orbs of glowing blue water around her, preparing to use origin pulse again. Just before she could unleash her attack, Jet erupted from the water and smashed into her with an aqua jet, breaking the legendary's concentration and causing her attack to dissipate.

Coming out of his attack, Jet quickly swung his arms in an arc, releasing two blades of white energy at the Kyogre. The blades exploded against the legendary's body, eliciting a hiss of pain. Turning her attention to the Floatzel, Kyogre fired an ice beam at Jet as he attempted to use aqua jet to flee. The legendary's attack struck true, freezing the water surrounding Jet and sealing him in ice.

Jet's eyes darted rapidly from his icy prison as he slowly fell to the water. As he was about to crash into the water, Asura, who was now mega evolved, lunged forward, kicking the ice covered Floatzel at the Kyogre with enough force to shatter the ice that surrounded him.

"What the hell, Asura?" Jet shouted, using aqua jet to escape the momentarily stunned Kyogre.

Instead of receiving a reply, Asura was suddenly on top of the water type, kicking off of him and lunging towards the legendary. Electricity crackled across his fist as he punched the legendary water type across her face, doing a large amount of damage. He then kicked off her face, catapulting himself into the air. Jet quickly changed direction and grabbed one of Asura's hands before the Medicham could fall into the water.

"That was incredibly reckless," Jet chided before grinning wildly. "Looks like I'm rubbing off on you."

"Shut up," Asura huffed, forming a psyshock in his free hand and sending it the Kyogre.

Blade, having recovered, flew towards the legendary as Asura's attack hit and slammed into her with a brutal x-scissors attack. At the same time, Shima got into close and released dozens of red waves of sound an energy at the legendary. As the Accelgor's bug buzz attack, Malum and Katerina sent out twin dark pulses towards Kyogre.

Kyogre cried out in pain as the attacks continued to bombard her. She attempted to dive under water, but Oceanus stopped her.

"Not this time!" the Gyarados shouted, shooting out of the water and into Kyogre's stomach with a vicious waterfall attack.

"Now, Blitz!" Garfield shouted to his brother, leaping off the ground towards the airborne Kyogre.

"Right behind you bro!" Blitz shouted, jumping after the Raichu.

Electricity erupted out from the electric types' cheeks, surrounding them in cloaks of lightning. The twin volt tackles melded together, becoming a large comet of lightning that raced towards the legendary. Kyogre watched helplessly as the large volt tackle shot towards her before impacting against her stomach in a bright flash of electricity.

Blitz, Garfield, and Kyogre fell from the sky, crashing into the water with a large splash. Waves of water crashed against the platforms, flooding over them. Garfield and Blitz surfaced first, reeling from the recoil of their attacks, and swam towards the closest platform.

"Did...did we get her?" Blitz asked tiredly.

As if answering Blitz's question, Kyogre floated to the surface, belly up. Shadows leeched off her body and stretched into the sky before disappearing. Slowly, Kyogre's body shifted from black to blue as the darkness fully left her body.

"I believe that answers your question," Garfield drawled, discreetly sighing in relief.

-Legend-

"Move!" Grace shouted as another hyper beam raced towards the group.

"This guy just doesn't quit!" Davis shouted before sending an air slash at the serpentine dragon.

The compressed ball of wind exploded against the dragon, but the legendary was undeterred. " **You should not have come here,** " Rayquaza growled before sending a powerful ice beam at the Togekiss.

"Crap baskets," Davis murmured, wide-eyed as the beam hit him directly in the chest. In a flash of light, Davis was completely encased in ice.

"Idiot," Spire grunted before released a small blast of fire at the ice to free the Togekiss.

"C-Cold," Davis shivered.

"Stop complaining and fight!" Spire shouted, mega evolving and flying at the mega evolved legendary with twin dragon claws.

Rayquaza growled at the encroaching Charizard and dove down with his own dragon claw. The two dragon's met in with an explosive crash before Rayquaza powered through Spire's attack and sent the Charizard hurtling to the ground.

Rayquaza roared loudly as if challengingly anyone to fight him. Winter answered the challenge by releasing a powerful blizzard at the Rayquaza's blind spot. Snow and ice impacted against the mega's unprotected back, eliciting a shrill cry of pain from the dragon-flying type.

"You shouldn't let your guard down," Winter gloated, grinning wickedly.

Rayquaza turned his head, his red eyes burning with hatred. " **And you shouldn't gloat.** "

In a blur of movement, Rayquaza's tail lashed out and struck the Weavile with a brutal amount of force. The ice-dark type was sent flying across the room, bouncing violently across the clouds.

As Rayquaza moved to continue his attack on the Weavile when a purple flame cut through the air and slammed into his side. Rayquaza roared in pain and turned to face the Flygon that was now buzzing around him like an insect.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Max jeered, sending out another dragon breath attack.

Rayquaza growled and expertly maneuvered out of the way. With a glare, Rayquaza shot forward with a dragon claw, intending on clawing the Flygon for his insolence when Drake came out of nowhere and slammed into the serpent with a dragon rush.

The super effective attack smashed into the legendary's head, causing it to snap back and for Rayquaza to, momentarily, lose his ability to fly. Rayquaza plummeted several feat before recovering and stopping his decent. The moment he stopped, however, Tyler came rocketing towards him with and iron head, ramming into the dragon's stomach.

The sky high Pokémon grunted in pain before grabbing the Larion and tossing him hard to the ground before blasting him with a hyper beam. Despite the Larion's resistance, Tyler still howled in pain as he was blasted into the clouds, which were surprisingly sturdy and unforgiving. Tyler slowly got to his feet, his body smoking slightly from the attack.

"Okay, I admit it. That one stung a little," Tyler groaned.

" **I'll make sure my next attack does more than 'sting',** " Rayquaza snarled, only to be struck with a vortex of pink wind. A mega evolved Grace, angered at the legendary for attacking one of her friends, summoned a large fairy wind attack, attempting to trap the legendary within the tornado like she did to the Dragonite early on in the dungeon.

Rayquaza was slowly getting pulled into the fairy type attack, screeching in pain as it happened. However, just as the mega evolved legendary was about to be drawn in, a bright green light erupted around his body. With a roar, Rayquaza, in a sudden burst of speed and power, tore through Grace's attack and flew straight into the air and out of sight, appearing to have fled.

"Did...did he just run away?!" Spire shouted incredulously.

"I don't believe that is the case here," Drake said, pointing to the sky. Everyone looked up and saw a glowing green speck racing towards them, growing with each passing second.

"MOVE!" Grace yelled just as Rayquaza slammed into the ground.

Green light erupted from Rayquaza's impact point followed by a massive explosion that threatened to tear apart the clouds that made up the room. The smoke slowly filtered through the large opening in the room revealing the attacking group strewn across the ground in various states of pain.

" **It was foolish of you to challenge me within my own domain!** " Rayquaza roared, flying above the group. " **You lost this battle the moment you came to this place!** "

"Don't count your Torchic before they hatch," Grace said, coughing lightly as she pushed herself to her feet.

" **You still stand?** " the dragon-flying type questioned in surprise. " **Are you truly that foolish?** "

"Foolish? No. Determined is a better word," Grace responded. "You're causing the suffering of countless Pokémon and I will not stand for it!"

Rayquaza stared at the Mawile as if contemplating her words. " **Then you shall no longer stand.** " With those words, the legendary took to the air once more before plummeting to the ground with another dragon ascent.

Grace stared down the encroaching Rayquaza, unflinching. Once the Rayquaza was several feat away, Grace leapt to the side, forcing the legendary to veer off course as to no slam into the ground, dispersing his attack as he did so. As he passed, Grace swung one of her jaws at the dragon, creating another fairy wind that slammed into the legendary's side and tried to pull him in. Rayquaza thrashed violently against he winds, slowly and steadily pulling out of it.

"Push him in!" Grace shouted as she strained to maintain her attack.

In response to Grace's shout, Drake, Davis, Aquilla, and Tyler flew towards the struggling legendary using dragon rush, sky attack, brave bird, and iron head respectively. The four attacks slammed into Rayquaza with an alarming amount of force, however, even with the four attacks pushing against him, Rayquaza continued to fight against the pull of the fairy wind. Jackson sought to help by using psychic to assist in pushing the Rayquaza, but the legendary still held firm.

"It's too strong!" Jackson shouted, visibly sweating under the strain of using psychic.

"Keep at it! Grace shouted. "We need to subdue him!"

" **I'll kill you all!** " Rayquaza roared, struggling against the multitude of attacks.

"RAAH!" Spire suddenly roared, tearing through the air towards the Rayquaza, his claws emblazoned with dragon type energy. In the blink of an eye, Spire rammed into the dragon with his claws outstretched.

Rayquaza roared in pain as Spire's claws raked across his body, the force of the Charizard pushing the legendary into Grace's attack. Seeing the legendary beginning to submit to the attack, Grace swung her other jaw and created a second tornado that fused with the first, creating an even larger vortex of pink winds. With the combined force of the attacks and the larger and stronger fairy wind, Rayquaza was pulled into the tornado.

"Light him up!" Spire shouted, releasing a large gout of blue flames at the swirling vortex.

Nodding in assent to her leader's shout, Winter ran forward and unleashed the strongest blizzard she could. At the same time, Max breathed out a vicious spray of purple and orange energy at the tornado of energy while Dire sent out a dark pulse.

The combined attacks swirled together with Grace's fairy wind, creating a beautiful tornado of light. From inside, Rayquaza screeched in pain as he was assaulted by a mesh of energies. The group could see Rayquaza's outline thrashing and writhing from pain as he fought to escape, but it was too much for the proud legendary.

When the combination of attacks finally faded, Rayquaza plummeted to the ground, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The second the giant serpent touched the ground, a bright red light surrounded his body before he reverted to his original state. Another second later, the shadows that had been controlling the legendary had drifted off of his body, revealing a green and yellow dragon.

"I guess that's that," Jackson said.

"Yep, that's it," Grace said, allowing her mega evolution to fade. "Now we need to find DJ."

-Legend-

DJ gritted his teeth in annoyance as he dodged yet another night shade attack. He had been fighting the strange creature for what felt like hours and the thing was still kept surprising him. Currently, the creature had shifted into an even stranger form, its tendrils becoming thinner and sharper and the two protrusions on either side of its head becoming sharper and triangular, a third forming on the top of its head. Its chest and abdomen now had a striated pattern.

Whatever this new form was, it caused the creature's attacks to be much more powerful than before. The creature kept attacking with renewed vigor, with dark blasts of energy and orbs of psychic energy at the Lucario, putting the former human on the defensive.

Leaping out of the way of another night shade attack, DJ lunged forward with metal claw. The creature, apparently surprised by DJ's sudden offensive move, attempted to dodge, but was slower than before.

DJ claws tore into the surprisingly squishy and thin flesh of the Pokémon. The mega Lucario turned to face his opponent only to gasp as he saw a severed tentacle flopping on the ground. "Oh, Arceus!" DJ gaped, staring at the lopped of limb and the Pokémon it came from. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

DJ trailed off as the tentacle suddenly faded out of existence in a burst of light. At the same time, the same light engulfed the creature's nub, reforming its lost limb.

"...okay then," DJ muttered, feeling less guilty about attacking the legendary. With that in mind, DJ formed an aura sphere in between his paws and hurled it at the creature.

Just before the attack hit, the creature suddenly shifted forms, its tentacles flattening and becoming wider, his head becoming rounder and more blunt. Its legs thickened as well, becoming much more bulky. Its chest regaining its previous smooth appearance, its skin gaining a more armor-like appearance.

The new from raised its much flatter arms and crossed them over its chest. Immediately a dome of green energy appeared around the creature. DJ's aura sphere slammed into the shield, bursting like a bubble when it made contact with the protect.

"Another form," DJ said to himself. "I think I've heard of you."

The creature remained silent, allowing its shield to fade, its dark eyes staring blankly at the Lucario.

"Yeah, I remember now," DJ continued, unperturbed by his opponent's silence. "A legendary that constantly changes its shape in battle to gain an edge in battle. You're Deoxys."

The now identified Deoxys continued its silence, unconcerned that it had been identified. Instead, Deoxys shifted forms yet again, becoming even sleeker than its attack form had been. It now had only two tendrils, one black and one blue. The area where its legs met its hips had grown wider while its torso and legs had the same striated pattern that its attack form. There was only one protrusion coming from the back of Deoxys' head, much longer than any of its previous forms.

DJ tensed in preparation, not knowing what this form was capable of. His eyes widened, however, when Deoxys suddenly blurred out of existence. Before the Lucario could fully react, a brutal force crashed into his side.

DJ was thrown across the room, skidding for several feat before coming to a stop. The hit had not hurt that much, but its suddenness and force had caught the Lucario off guard.

Getting to his feet, DJ was once again blindsided by another strike from the now incredibly fast legendary. DJ managed to stay on his feet from the second hit, now prepared for it, but Deoxys did not stop. Again and again, the legendary slammed into the Lucario from every angle, not giving the former human time to defend himself. With a final blow, DJ was thrown further across the room, straight towards the edge of the floating platform.

Skidding to a halt, mere inches from falling into oblivion, DJ groaned and got to his feet again. "You know, you're really annoying," he grumbled at the stationary legendary.

Once again, Deoxys remained silent. It then leaned forward ever so slightly before exploding forward in a burst of speed.

Even being prepared for what Deoxys, DJ still had difficulty following the psychic type's movements. Even so...

DJ suddenly summoned a bone and swung to his left, smashing the ground type attack against Deoxys' form.

...the Lucario could still anticipate the legendary's movements.

Deoxys tumbled through the air before righting itself. It gazed at DJ in apparent shock, surprised that the Lucario had managed to hit it.

"Sorry, but your speed won't work on me," DJ declared. "I've trained against Pokémon far faster than me! I-"

Deoxys apparently did not wish to listen to DJ's words as it sent out twin bolts of dark energy from its eyes, effectively cutting off whatever DJ was going to say. DJ quickly deflected the bolts of energy before racing forward.

Deoxys, using its superior speed, avoided the attack. It moved behind the Lucario and shot another round of ghost type energy at DJ, but the Lucario whirled around and struck the blasts with another bone rush.

"That won't work!" DJ shouted running forward, catching the legendary off guard.

DJ swung his bone towards the psychic type, but the legendary was able to dodge. Undeterred, DJ continued to press his attack, not giving the legendary a chance to counter. Swing after swing was dodged, but DJ did not let up. Deoxys tried to move away, but DJ would react instantly and strike out with his bone, forcing Deoxys back.

After a particularly large swing, Deoxys slipped under the attack and attempted to move around the DJ, but the Lucario was counting on such an action. With his free paw, DJ punched the legendary in the face with a swift power-up punch.

Head snapping back from the sudden impact, Deoxys was momentarily stunned, leaving it wide open for an attack. Dismissing his bone rush, DJ's metal spikes grew into claws and the mega raked them across the legendary's front. A strained and slightly robotic sound, not unlike the ones from the regis, came from the Deoxys as it reeled back in pain. DJ continued to press his advantage and, clawing viciously at the legendary, every other attack becoming stronger due to metal claws ability.

Deoxys, unable to break away from DJ's relentless assault, instead chose to change forms, becoming its more bulky and armored form. In a flash, the green dome of protect was expelled from the legendary's body, forcing DJ to break off of his assault, the shell of energy physically pushing him away. Once the Lucario had been pushed back, Deoxys dropped its shield, shifted into its speed form and disappeared, reappearing several yards away.

Once it was a suitable distance away, a yellow light shone over its form. All of the cuts and bruises that DJ managed to inflict began to fade until the legendary's skin was once more unblemished.

"Recover," DJ growled to himself. He then nodded, apparently deciding on something. "Fine, I see how it is." With that, DJ raced forward, his paws emblazoned with orange energy.

Shifting again, becoming its more attack based form, Deoxys brought its tendrils together and summoned a large orb of energy. Flicking its arms, Deoxys fired the psycho boost at the Lucario as he closed in.

DJ continued to run forward, staring unflinchingly at the attack as it raced towards him. At the last second, DJ leapt over the attack, reared back his fist, and punched the legendary in the chest. Bringing up his other fist for a vicious uppercut, but Deoxys managed to push him back with a night shade attack.

Deoxys turned into its speed form again and raced away from the Lucario, forcing him to follow. This began a rather annoying, from DJ's perspective, game of tag for the duo. Deoxys would dash away with its speed form before switching to its attack from and sending out constant blasts of ghost and psychic type energy at the fighting-steel type as he attempted to give chase. These attacks would either be dodged, deflected or taken head on by the Lucario as he continued forward. DJ would then land several hits before Deoxys would back away and recover the health it lost.

Several minutes into this 'game' DJ was panting heavily while Deoxys still appeared fresh. The mega suddenly fell to one knee, clearly drained. Deoxys floated above him in a superior manner. It prepared to deliver the final blow when the Lucario suddenly started to chuckle.

"Hehe, man, fighting Pokémon that just spam recover is really tedious," DJ chuckled, glancing up at the Deoxys. "There's only one real way to deal with them. Take them out in one blow."

All of a sudden, DJ jumped to his feet and summoned another bone rush, however, it was different. The constant use of DJ's power-up punches and metal claws had increased his attack power to critical heights. So much so that the aura DJ poured into his attack no longer took the shape of a bone, it was just a long mass of violently fluctuating aura.

In a sudden blur of movement, DJ appeared in front of the legendary and smashed his glowing attack into a surprised Deoxys' chest, sending the psychic type straight to the ground. DJ landed lightly before kicking forward and running at the Deoxys with the intent to continue his attack.

Deoxys, seeing DJ's approach, hastily created another psycho boost attack and fired it at the Lucario. Tightening his grip on his attack, DJ swung the energy weapon against the large orb of energy. Sparks of energy were flung in every direction as the two attacks battled for dominance. After several seconds, DJ let out a roar and, in a startling display of strength and power, flung the attack into the air where it exploded.

With the attack gone, DJ continued his dash towards the Deoxys, who, seeing its attack fail, shift forms again, but DJ was too quick. DJ reached his target in the blink of an eye and began wailing on the legendary with his enhanced attack. With a brutal and deadly dance, DJ landed hit after hit on the legendary, not giving it time to use recover. With a final strike, where DJ jabbed his weapon forward, much like a pool cue, DJ launched the legendary across the platform, its body digging up a trench as it slammed into the ground.

Coming to a stop, Deoxys shifted into its default form, losing the energy to maintain its other forms. A familiar shadowy smoke rose from Deoxys' unconscious form and dispersed into the air, leaving the legendary to return to its natural color.

"It's over," DJ sighed, falling to his knees in exhaustion. After a few seconds, a look of realization flitted across the Lucario's face. "How the hell do I get out of here?!"


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

Descent to Darkness

Three weeks had passed since the debacle with the weather trio and Deoxys. After the defeat of the legendaries, the weather patterns around the continent returned to normal, the trio themselves disappearing without a trace. DJ did not even know what happened to Deoxys. Once the psychic type had regained consciousness, it simply transported DJ back to Miracle Town without a single word.

After that, things had fallen into a relative calm for the denizens of Miracle Town. More legendaries popped up, but were swiftly dealt with by the other guilds, leaving Gallade's Guild to spend their time training. And train they did.

The training fields were filled almost daily with members of Gallade's Guild, each and every one of them pushing themselves to their limit in preparation for the next legendary attack. They all wanted a chance to go up against the legendaries and protect their way of life.

But none were more determined than Team Stardust.

Much like their resident fighting-steel type had done many times before, the young exploration team had thrown themselves into their training with renewed vigor. They constantly sparred against other teams and even themselves, all for the sake of becoming more powerful. After their own encounters with various legendaries, the team resolved to become stronger.

Currently, the team was sparring against one another. Jackson, wanting to fight someone out of his comfort zone challenged Blade, a close range and speed fighter. Blade, having to fight a long range and surprisingly durable a long range, too got to battle someone with an unfamiliar fighting style. Drake, unable to fight his brother, chose to fight Leaf, their battle coming down to a brutal dance of claws and blades. Bertha and Blitz also paired up, though their fight appeared to be more of Bertha chasing the Pikachu around the training field with the intent on bludgeoning him. Asura, Jet, and Grace engaged in an free for all battle royal, none of them holding anything back. DJ and Katara...

The Greninja skidded across the ground, he stomach smarting from a well placed kick from DJ. She quickly recovered, however, and summoned twin short blades made of dark energy. She brought her blades up above her head just in time to block DJ's bone rush attack.

Sparks flew as the energy weapons clashed, their wielders unwilling to back down. Unfortunately, despite Katara's best efforts, DJ's strength began to overwhelm her. Katara grit her teeth as she was pushed onto one knee under the Lucario's superior strength. Mind racing, Katara opened her mouth and a plume of smoke erupted forth, catching DJ off guard.

Startled by the smokescreen, DJ instinctively jumped back, coughing a few times to clear his lungs of smoke. Eyes watering slightly, DJ dismissed his bone staff and waited for Katara to emerge from the smoke cloud. He did not have to wait long as, not even a second later, Katara burst from the smoke, moving at speeds that caught the Lucario off guard having never seen his friend move so fast.

Taking advantage of the aura Pokémon's surprise, Katara, her night slash blades in hand, slashed an 'x' across DJ's front. The Lucario hissed in pain, but held firm. He pulled a fist back and attempted to hit the water-dark with a power-up punch, but she managed to duck under it. She attempted to cut DJ with another night slash, but DJ managed to deflect it with the metal spike on his left paw.

Seeking to gain some distance, DJ quickly formed an aura sphere and shot it at Katara's feet, the ensuing explosion jettisoning the ninja Pokémon several feat. Katara landed feet first, sliding back a few more feet as she did so, and glared at the Lucario.

"What the heck was that?!" A confused look crossed the Lucario's face at Katara's exclamation.

"Huh?"

"That last attack! You aimed at the ground and not me. Why?" Katara demanded, her eyes sharp.

"I didn't-" DJ tried to speak, but Katara steamrolled over his words.

"You're holding back!" Katara shouted furiously. "You don't think I can handle you going all out!"

"No, it's not like that!" DJ denied.

"The hell it isn't!" Katara said, her anger becoming palpable. "I've seen you go toe to toe with legendaries and the best you can do is shoot an aura sphere at my feet? Either the legendaries aren't as strong as we're making them out to be, or your holding back!"

Her aggression suddenly evaporated and she slumped slightly. "I've been with you all this time and you think I'm weak." Katara's hands clinched to fists, her eyes shadowed over. "Ever since I've met you, it's always been you protecting me, saving me. I've always been the dead weight, but no more. I want to be strong and I can't do that unless you take me seriously and fight me like you would any other."

DJ remained silent, shock clear in his eyes as he observed his friend baring her heart out to him. Still not meeting DJ's eyes, Katara continued. "So please, if you truly care about me as a friend, fight me with everything you have. Please."

Several seconds passed and DJ still did not respond. Katara sighed in defeat, thinking that DJ was refusing her request. These thoughts were immediately banished when a familiar red light creeped into the edge of her vision. The Greninja's head snapped up just as the glow of mega evolution faded, revealing DJ in his mega evolved state.

DJ looked impassively at Katara's surprised expression. "You wanted me to give you everything I've got, well here it is," he said. A grin stole across the former human's face as he slipped into a fighting stance and gave the 'come hither' motion. "Well? Come at me!"

Katara got over her shock and returned DJ's grin. "With pleasure."

With that, Katara shot forward like a bullet, her blades reappearing. Arriving in front of the mega Lucario, Katara moved to slash at the Lucario when he suddenly disappeared. Eyes wide with shock, Katara did not have time to react before an immense pain blossomed across her stomach. DJ, who had just ducked into a crouch at speeds that Katara could not follow, had planted a swift and powerful power-up punch into the ninja frog's stomach.

Katara, momentarily hanging off of DJ's fist, had time to glance up at DJ and saw the Lucario staring at her with a questioning gaze. She could feel the unsaid question; "Well? Is this all", and she was filled with renewed determination. DJ seemed to see this and smiled. The Lucario then followed through with his attack and threw Katara into the air with his punch.

Katara gritted her teeth in pain and managed to right herself before landing lightly on her feet. She then quickly formed a water shuriken in between her hands and threw it at DJ. The Lucario in questioned summoned his metal claws and tore through the water attack before dashing forward.

Growling over the ineffectiveness of her attack, Katara resummoned her night slash blades and dashed forward to meet the Lucario. The two met in the middle, the blades and claws clashing against the other with enough force to cause a small shockwave. The two then fell into a brutal battle of claws and blades. Sparks and small streams of electricity burst out from the two attacks repeatedly meeting.

However, despite Katara's best efforts, she could not keep up with the mega's speed and strength. DJ's flurry of attacks began to break through Katara's defense, leaving the Greninja reeling. Unable to take the damage, Greninja quickly jumped into the air and throwing water shuriken at the Lucario as she fell.

DJ quickly backpedaled away from the water stars, which embedded themselves in the ground before dispersing. He then formed a large aura sphere and fired it at the Greninja who cut the attack in half with a night slash. Seeing that his attack had failed, DJ ran forward, his fist emblazoned with orange energy that seemed brighter and more powerful than before. Katara, who had just landed, was unable to dodge.

Katara coughed painfully as she was thrown across the field, bouncing harshly across the ground. Skidding to a halt, Katara groaned in pain. Too stubborn to give up, Katara pushed herself to her feet, panting heavily.

"We can stop if you want..." DJ began, only to be forced to dodge a water shuriken that came close to shaving off his ears.

"I'm not done yet!" Katara shouted, jumping high into the air. Once she reached her apex, gravity around her seemed to double for Katara as she suddenly shot down from the sky, a mach cone forming around her outstretched feet.

DJ yelped before jumping back just in time for Katara to crash into the ground, a small crater forming underneath her feet. As she landed, Katara sank into a crouch, rolled forward on the balls of her feet, and launched off the ground towards DJ. Two familiar blades of dark energy formed in her hands and raced past DJ, her blades glancing across DJ's flank.

DJ hissed in pain, but gave no other indication that he had been hurt. He then whirled around just in time to dodge another night slash before retaliating with a kick. As Katara stumbled back, DJ formed an aura sphere and hurled it at Katara at a close range.

Still stunned, the aura sphere met its mark. Katara cried out in pain as the sphere of energy exploded against her stomach, sending her flying. As she was still airborne, DJ seemed to suddenly appear above her. Before she could react, DJ slammed her to the ground with a brutal double hammer fist, his paws glowing with fighting type energy.

Katara plummeted to the ground, her mouth open in a silent scream, before she crashed to the ground with a resounding boom. The Greninja struggled to get back to her feet, not wanting to give up so soon, but she just could not do it. Her arms gave out and she collapsed.

DJ landed a few feet away, a concerned look on his face. He dropped his mega evolution and rushed to his friend's side. "Are you okay?" DJ asked worriedly, dropping his mega evolution.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katara grumbled bitterly, still unable to get up. DJ offered her a paw which she gratefully accepted. She then sighed depressedly. "I could even stand up to you."

"Well I kind of went a little over board," DJ said sheepishly. "I mean, with mega evolution and all..."

"But I asked for you to not hold back!" Katara argued. "If I can't even compare to you when you're in your mega form, then how am I supposed to help you in battle?"

"A lot of Pokémon can't win against a mega evolved Pokémon," DJ tried.

"But the legendaries can," Katara said, causing DJ's mouth to snap shut. "We're going to be fighting other legendaries, Pokémon that can easily stand up against mega evolution. If I'm not at the level, how can I help."

"Strength does not always determine the outcome of the battle," Alistair said, walking over to the training team. "Sometimes wit and determination are more than enough to turn the tide of war."

"Gramps," DJ exclaimed happily upon seeing his mentor.

"Hello, pup," Alistair greeted. "I saw your fight, you truly have improved. You have too, Katara. Even I you lost, the amount of growth that you have achieved is nothing to scoff at. You have become strong."

Katara blushed hotly and ducked her head bashfully. "Even so, how can I go up against legendaries if I can't beat a mega?" she asked.

"You do not have to," Alistair responded, earning a confused look. Seeing this, Alistair chuckled and explained. "What I mean is, I don't have to fight alone. You have your teammates, your friends, to fight by your side."

"Right," Katara murmured hastily, bowing her head.

"Alistair, what are you doing here?" Asura asked, he and the rest of the team, all of whom were covered in various cuts and bruises, walked over. "Does Dad need us?"

Alistair stared blankly at the Medicham's question. "I'm not your father's messenger, you know. I _do_ have my own life."

Asura had the decency to look embarrassed. He spluttered something sounding like an apology, but it was laughed off by the Lucario. "I'm just yanking your chain," Alistair laughed. "I'm not upset, I'm just-"

Alistair suddenly froze mid-sentence, his entire body becoming tense. He turned his head towards the large pool, made for water types or for practice with water battles. His gaze narrowed at an almost imperceptible ripple in the water.

"Alistair?" Asura questioned upon seeing the Lucario's sudden tenseness. "What is it."

Alistair did not respond right away, continuing to stare at the pool. "...It's nothing," he said after a while. "I thought I felt something."

"What?" DJ asked, curious as he felt nothing.

"Something...sinister," Alistair said, generating an awkward silence.

"Okay, that wasn't ominous," Blitz commented dryly.

"I'm sure I was just imagining things," Alistair assured with a shaky smile. "I'm probably just overworking myself."

"Speaking of working, you never did tell us what you were doing here," Jet pointed out.

"Well, like any fighting type, I occasionally feel the urge to train," Alistair said with a laugh, earning sweat-drops from the surrounding team.

"Fighting types are weird," Bertha said.

"Totally," Blitz agreed.

"Strange creatures," Jackson nodded.

"You do realize you have two fighting types on your team, right?" DJ asked, an annoyed twitch in his brow.

Bertha, Blitz, and Jackson glanced at one another before responding together, "Yes."

"I hate you guys," DJ grunted, getting laughs all around before eventually joining in himself.

Alistair joined in on the laughter, amused by his disciple's antics. He opened his mouth to say something when he froze once more, a familiar feeling rushing past him. This time, DJ felt it too.

"Was that what you felt before?" DJ asked, all signs of mirth gone from his expression.

"Yes, it was," Alistair said, staring at the pool once more.

"What do you think-" DJ's question was lost as the pool suddenly burst to life, water whirling and thrashing as if in a storm. A second later a tornado burst from the pool, surprisingly free of even a drop of water, and headed straight towards the team and Alistair.

"What the hell?!" DJ shouted just before he, Team Stardust, and Alistair were all sucked up by the vortex and pooled back into the pool.

The other Pokémon present stared at the now placid pool in abject horror. "Wh-What was that?!"

-Legend-

The group spun wildly within the vortex, unable to gain their bearings. After what felt like ages, they felt the winds die down, leaving them in a free fall. Unfortunately for them, due to the constant spinning, none of the group was in any condition to regain their bearings fast enough to land safely and, as a result, landed harshly against what felt like hard stone.

"Is everyone okay?" Asura asked, barely withholding a groan. "Sound off."

A series of groans answered the Medicham. The group shakily got to their feet, still reeling from their trip via tornado.

"Ugh, it feels like my head was thrown in the wash," Blitz said, stumbling around as if drunk.

"Does anyone have an explanation fro what just happened?" Grace asked, holding her head.

"No, but I don't think we're in Miracle Town anymore," DJ said.

"What makes you say that?" Blade questioned.

DJ just pointed in response, prompting the others to glance around, and what they saw shocked them.

They were standing on a large stone platform with several dead and blackened trees dotting the corners, but that was not the strangest sight. No, the strangest thing was that they were floating in the middle of a void. Dark purple clouds swirled around in the void, casting an ominous light over the area. In the distance, they could see several other floating platforms, many of which were upside down or sideways.

"Wh-Where are we?" Blitz asked, a note of fear creeping into his voice.

" **My domain,** " a cold voice rang out.

A large form then appeared out of thin air, further surprising the group. The Pokémon serpentine in appearance and was colossal in size. It was primarily ash gray in color with a black stripe and red rings around it traveling down to its middle. Six black tendrils on its back with blood red spikes on the ends. Bronze spikes ran down its body up to its tail and three half rings of the same color wrapped around its neck. On its head was what appeared to be a bronze crown, the lower two portion that covered its mouth being longer and stretching behind its head.

The creature looked down upon the group, its red eyes appearing bored and condescending. Yet, despite the creature's apparent blasé disposition towards the group, its eyes were sharp and observant, like it was waiting for any of them to make a move. An aura of despair seemed to surround the Pokémon and waft through the air, touching each member of Team Stardust, suffocating them with a feeling of hopelessness. Only Alistair was left unaffected.

Alistair glared coldly at the serpent for what he was doing to the young team. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before his aura sensors suddenly shot up, a ripple of blue aura emanating from his body. The blue aura rushed through Team Stardust, earning several gasps as the despair that had been threatening to suffocate them faded. The floating serpent's gaze swiveled towards the Lucario, its gaze flickering between annoyance and amusement.

" **Interesting,** " it said. " **Not many of your species have the ability to overcome my pressure.** "

Alistair opened his eyes and scowled up at the giant serpent. "Save your compliments, Giratina," he snapped.

"G-Giratina?" DJ rasped, still reeling from the now identified Giratina's aura.

"Yes," Alistair said, sparing his fellow Lucario a glance. "The renegade Pokémon and lord of the Distortion World. Which would mean that this is the Distortion World."

" **A very astute observation,** " Giratina commented, his voice too dull to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. He then casually floated towards the ground, stopping several feat from touching it. " **However, wit will not be enough to save you from me.** "

"I take it you're here to eliminate us then?" Asura questioned, his gaze impassive.

" **No, not all of you specifically, no,** " Giratina answered, surprising the group. " **You just happened to be in the vicinity of my target. Him.** " The legendary stretched out one of its tendrils and pointed directly at a shell shocked DJ.

"Me?!" DJ yelped in surprise, taking a half step back. "Why?"

" **My master did not say,** " Giratina said. " **He simply wanted you out of the way. You have become quite a nuisance for him.** "

"If you want DJ, then you have to go through us!" Katara shouted boldly, stepping in front of the Lucario.

" **That was the plan,** " Giratina drawled. " **It would be much simpler to just kill all of you instead of just one and sending the others back.** " Giratina reared his head up, like a snake about to strike down its prey, its six tendrils spreading out and shifting threateningly. " **If you don't mind, please hold still. I wish to end this battle quickly,** " he added.

Before any of the group could respond, the face place opened up outward, a bloodcurdling shriek tearing from its throat before diving at the group.

"Move!" Alistair shouted, snapping the team out of the revere, just in time for them to dodge.

Giratina tore back the group, his speed generating a powerful gust of wind that blew past the group. The ghost-dragon type continued on his path, uncaring that he had missed his targets, and pulled up until he was high in the air/void. He twisted around and faced the group, opening his face plate and revealing his mouth once more. A green orb of dragon type energy formed in front of his mouth and, with a roar, the orb launched at the group.

As Giratina's dragon pulse attack bared down on the group, Grace acted first. She quickly moved in front of the group and, with a twirl of her second jaw, a whirlwind of pink winds came forth and moved to intercept the attack.

The dragon pulse and fairy wind attacks slammed into each other. Sparks of energy burst from between the two quarreling attacks as they battled for dominance. Despite Grace's attack having the advantage in terms typing, the dragon pulse looked to be actually pushing the fairy wind back. In the end, both attacks were dispersed, leaving Grace panting and Giratina impassive.

"Are you okay, Grace?" Asura asked worriedly, rushing to the shiny Mawile's side.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Grace assured Asura rather unconvincingly. "I guess I'm still tired from sparring earlier."

" **You are not at full strength?** " Giratina asked, having heard Grace. " **A pity, but it makes my job much simpler.** " With that, Giratina once more lunged towards the group, the spikes in his body lighting up with the same green energy as his earlier attack.

The group all scattered in order to dodge the legendary as it dove towards them again. They almost all avoided the attack, but at the very last second, Giratina suddenly whipped around and bared down on Drake. Eyes wide, the Gabite was caught off guard and was struck by the legendary's dragon claw.

The ground-dragon type howled in pain as the super effective attack tore across his stomach. He was flung across the platform, stopping dangerously close to the edge. He groaned in pain, his earlier injuries only exacerbated from the hit.

Giratina reared up, preparing to dive down and attack again when a dark pulse slammed into his side. The large Pokémon listed to the side, slightly reeling from the attack, but remained otherwise unfazed. The attack did, however, incur Giratina's gaze to find Jackson, who was currently regretting his decision.

The Umbreon tried to move from his spot, but an injury that he had received from Blade when they were fighting chose that moment to make itself known. Jackson gasped in sudden pain as his right front paw suddenly gave out, causing him to collapse, leaving him open for a dragon pulse that practically embedded him in the ground.

Giratina, his spikes glowing with dragon type energy, dove down once more, this time aiming for Jet, when Blitz, covered by a cloak of electricity, came pelting towards him from the side. Blitz, determined to get revenge for the damage the legendary did to his friends, raced forward to legendary with a volt tackle attack. A smile made its way across the Pikachu's face as he grew closer to his target, only for the legendary's tail to suddenly enter his vision.

With a resounding **smack** , the Pikachu was sent flying. Still engulfed in electrical energy, Blitz tumble through the air before slamming into the ground. Losing his focus of his attack, the electricity from Blitz's attack discharged into the ground, leaving Blitz to suffer the effects of his attack's recoil.

Bertha, Jet, Asura, and DJ all moved to blindside the legendary when he suddenly disappeared from view. Baffled, the young team looked around wildly for any sign of the legendary.

"Stay on guard!" Alistair shouted. "He's using shadow force!"

" **As I said before,** " Giratina's voice rang out, seemingly from all directions at once, " **your wit will not help you against me.** "

Giratina suddenly appeared behind Blitz as the Pikachu struggled to his feet. Coated in shadowy energy, Giratina suddenly lunged forward, striking so fast that he was just a blur. Blitz cried out in agony as Giratina smashed into his back, sending him soaring across the platform, landing on top of Jackson just as he got to his feet.

"Gah!" Jackson cried out in surprise and pain as the Pikachu landed on him. "Kindly get off me."

"Sorry," Blitz groaned.

"Nobody tosses around Blitz but me!" Bertha shouted, hurling her bone at the legendary. A satisfied smirk crossed her face as her bone slammed into the renegade Pokémon's face, snapping Giratina's head back from the force of her throw, before her weapon came back, slipping the side of Giratina's skull.

Giratina stayed like that for several seconds, his head bowed, seemingly reeling from the attack. He then slowly raised his head, his beady red eyes staring straight into Bertha's, causing the Marrowak to gulp audibly. His face plate then opened up with a snap and purple energy began to pool in his mouth before he unleashed a powerful hyper beam at the Marrowak.

Bertha gaped at the powerful attack racing towards her, temporarily frozen from fear. Before the attack could hit her, Alistair grabbed the ground type and jumped out of the way as the attack destroyed that portion of the platform.

"Don't be careless," Alistair scolded, placing Bertha on the ground. "None of us can afford to take any bid hits."

"R-Right!" Bertha gulped before gaining a determined look.

Alistair nodded and turned towards Giratina in time to see the legendary swat Blade out of the air. With a growl, the Lucario tore across the platform towards the renegade Pokémon. DJ, at some point, had joined the older Lucario in his run towards ghost-dragon type, a bone rush already in his paws. With a nod to his pupil, Alistair suddenly leapt into the air, his spikes turning into claws as he descended upon the legendary.

Giratina, for the first time, cried out, more so out of shock than actual pain, from Alistair's attack. He turned around to attack the Lucario when he was suddenly blindsided by DJ who brutally slammed his glowing bone against the legendary's face. Twirling his bone staff, DJ brought the bone rush around for another swing, delivering another hard blow against the legendary. At the same time, Katara and Leaf descended upon the legendary, slashing him across his stomach in an 'x' pattern with night slash and leaf blade respectively.

Both Lucario and Katara and Leaf landed back onto the ground before leaping back just as Giratina launched a dragon pulse at them. The attack exploded violently, chunks of debris flying in every direction, but the quartet were able to get away without sustaining any damage.

Giratina growled and prepared to attack again when Asura and Jet simultaneously attacked him. Using their own elemental fist attacks, Asura and Jet punched Giratina on either side of his face as Giratina prepared another dragon pulse. Electricity and ice crawled across the legendary's face, causing him to lose focus and cause his attack to explode prematurely.

The duo landed safely and jumped back to put some distance between themselves and the ghost-dragon type. Smoke covered Giratina's face, obscuring it from view. A second passed before Giratina pulled his head out of the smoke and glared in annoyance.

Alistair growled lowly as the legendary shook off a string of attacks that would have felled any normal Pokémon. He glanced back at Team Stardust as they came to stand behind him.. They were all fairly injured, from both Giratina and their earlier training. Normally he would not worry about them, but in their current state, the elder Lucario did not think that they could win.

This observation could not be any more true.

Immediately, Giratina unleashed a hyper beam at the group, destroying a chunk of the platform and scattering the group. He then recovered, quicker than any Pokémon should, and lunged forward. He weaved in and out of the group, avoiding or deflecting attacks while lashing out with his own. Shouts of pain and explosions from wayward attacks filled the void for several minutes.

The young team, and Alistair, fought valiantly against the legendary, but they were outmatched. They were already drained before they were brought to the Distortion World, leaving them vulnerable to the attacks. Asura, Grace, and DJ could not even mega evolve as they had done so during training. It was only a matter of delaying the inevitable. One by one, each member of Team Stardust was defeated until only Alistair remained.

Panting, Alistair brought his paws together and released a large blast of steel gray energy at the renegade Pokémon. The beam was expertly avoided, the serpentine legendary twisting his body to avoid the attack. The Giratina's eyes observed the Lucario with a bored expression.

" **Why do you persist?** " the legendary questioned. " **I have already defeated your friends. You have no hope to defeat me alone.** "

Alistair remained silent, not wanting to waste precious breath. He instead just continued to glare defiantly at the legendary, meeting his icy stare with one of his own. Seeing this, Giratina sighed as if Alistair was the most tiring thing imaginable.

" **How about I make you a deal,** " the legendary offered. " **I will allow you and the others to leave if you allow me to kill the other Lucario.** "

"There's no way in hell that I'd let you do that!" Alistair roared angrily.

" **The alternative is that I kill you all,** " Giratina drawled, seemingly not caring one way of the other.

In response Alistair slid into a fighting stance. Giratina sighed again. " **So be it.** "

Giratina suddenly vanished from sight, catching Alistair by surprise. Not a second later, Giratina appeared right in front of the Lucario and slammed into him with a shadow force attack. Alistair yelled in pain, his body being thrown into the air and across the platform.

" **Your death will be swift, but first, I shall take the life of my target,** " Giratina said, turning towards the other Lucario.

Alistair's eyes widened at Giratina's claim, his eyes immediately finding DJ who was just starting to stir from his unconscious state. The ghost-dragon type began to charge up another hyper beam, intent on finishing of the former human.

 _In his current state and at that range..._ Alistair thought, _DJ won't survive that attack, even with his type resistance. I have to do something._

Oblivious to Alistair's thoughts, the Giratina continued charging his attack, pushing more and more power into it. Katara, regaining her senses before DJ, saw what was happening. With a horrified gasp, she shouted, "DJ! LOOK OUT!" to her friend, trying, and failing, to get up and move to the former human's side.

DJ heard Katara's voice and looked up, his vision impaired somewhat. However, even with his slightly blurred vision, he could sense the large build of energy over his head. Unable to move even his legs, DJ could not even attempt to get away. He could only stare with half-lidded eyes at his impending death.

With a roar, the blast of purple energy was released and the hyper beam was on its way to ending DJ's life. The attack screamed towards the prone Lucario, the light it emanated illuminating the dark void. Distantly DJ could here the others shouting his name, but all her could focus on was the blinding light getting closer and closer. In the end, he just closed his eyes and accepted it.

Team Stardust screamed as the attack made contact, sending violent tremors through the entire floating platform. Smoke billowed from the epicenter of the attack, obscuring a large portion of the stone. There was no sign of movement.

Giratina gazed impassively at the pillar of smoke that billowed before him. " **It is done,** " he said, turning away. Not a second later passed before the serpent turned back towards the smoke, a confused expression on his face. " **Hmm?** "

-Legend-

DJ's eyes were clenched shut, his body tense as he waited for the impending attack. He nearly went deaf from the explosion and was actually pushed back several feat by a powerful shockwave, but he never felt the scorching burn of the hyper beam. Confused, DJ weakly opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was happening.

DJ squinted, trying to see through all the smoke, and could just make out a dark shape through the smoke. Slowly the shape came into clearer detail as the smoke began to clear and his vision clarified. He could see that the shape was tall and thin. It also appeared to be blue with what appeared to be spikes on its paws...

"No," DJ whispered, to horrified to say anymore because, standing before him, their arms outstretched, was Alistair.

The battered Lucario turned his head painstakingly slow, his red eyes finding DJ's cerulean. "A-Are you okay?" Alistair asked through labored pants.

"I-I'm fine," DJ stuttered. "B-But."

"I'm glad," Alistair said weakly, interrupting DJ. Alistair looked like he wanted to say more, but a pained expression crossed his face before he collapsed.

"GRAMPS!" DJ shouted. Using his remaining energy, DJ desperately clawed his way towards his mentor. When he reached him, DJ quickly rolled Alistair onto his back, carefully lifting his head in an attempt to make him comfortable. "Gramps? Gramps!"

Alistair coughed weakly and blearily opened his eyes. "Pup..?"

"I-It's me, Gramps," DJ choked out, tears biting at his eyes. "Why? Why'd you do that?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Alistair chuckled only to cough violently again. "You're my student after all. I wouldn't be much of a mentor if I let you die."

Alistair began coughing again, pain clear in his face. "Save your strength," DJ said, barely holding back his tears.

"It's a little late for that, pup," Alistair said, smiling at the former human despite the overwhelming pain he was in. "I'm just glad...I could do right by...you. I'm...glad..." Alistair's words trailed off as his eyes closed, a smile on his face.

-Legend-

 **Smash!**

Ester jolted at the sudden sound of breaking glass. Turning towards the sound she saw that a picture frame had fallen. Cursing to herself, she quickly, but carefully, brushed the glass out of the way and picked up the frame. She frowned when she saw that it was her old Team SATE picture, a large crack spreading over Alistair's smiling face.

"Alistair," the Gardevoir whispered worriedly, unable to shake the feeling of unease that was gripping her heart.

-Legend-

"Gramps?" DJ said, his voice hardly above a whisper. He shook the Lucario a bit, but received no response. "Gramps?! Gramps?! Gramps! Gramps, please get up! Alistair!"

" **So the other Lucario shielded you,** " Giratina said, the smoke dispersing to the point where he could see the two Lucario. " **A pointless effort in the end as you will die regardless.** "

DJ did not hear the legendary, he could only focus on the limp Lucario in his arms. "Alistair?"

" **Too blinded by your own grief to see that your own death is a hairs breadth away,** " Giratina said to no one in particular.

"Alistair, please wake up."

" **He can't hear you,** " Giratina drawled. " **He's already passed on.** "

"You can't be gone. Please, don't leave me."

" **Pathetic.** " Giratina shook his head in false sympathy. " **It would be a kindness to put him out of his grief at this point...** "

"You did this," DJ suddenly growled, surprising the legendary slightly.

" **Hmm? Are you talking to me?** "

"You did this..." DJ whispered, forcing Giratina to strain in order to make out the former human's words. "You took him from me."

DJ raised his eyes, his blue eyes now blood red and full of hatred. The Lucario's gaze, and differently colored eyes, unnerved the legendary to the point where he actually floated back.

"You killed him," DJ continued, dark shadows began to creep up his body until he was completely covered.

Giratina's eyes widened in surprise. " **Impossible. That's...** "

"You'll pay," DJ growled, his fur changing from blue to black, the cream colored fur on his chest turning an ash gray. "Yo **u'll PAY!** "

DJ roared. All of his hatred, sadness, pain, and anger filled the roar, making it all the more terrifying. It was so intense that Giratina, for a split second, felt an unrelenting wave of fear wash over him.

" **What is..?** " This was all Giratina was able to say before DJ suddenly disappeared. Before the legendary could react, the Lucario appeared in front of him and slammed twin fists surrounded by dark orange energy against Giratina head. Much to the part ghost type's surprise, the attack actually made contact with him and it hurt. The amount of power behind the attack was enough to send Giratina crashing to the ground with a startled cry.

DJ landed a few feat away, his red eyes intent upon the Giratina. The darkened Lucario took a step forward before suddenly releasing an unholy shriek. Giratina watched in abject fascination as the crystal around the fighting-steel type's neck glowed a bright blue. The immediate area underneath the crystal hissed with what appeared to be dark steam, the shadows that had enclosed around the Lucario peeled back, revealing the Lucario's cream colored chest fur.

With a roar of pain, DJ grabbed the crystal, hissing as he did so, and yanked it from around his neck. He clenched his paw into a tight fist before opening his paw, revealing the now shattered remains of the crystal. DJ grinned savagely as he let the shattered necklace spill from his paw, the shadows knitting back together over his chest, turning it back into its ash gray color.

A sudden hiss from Giratina seemed to remind DJ of the legendary's existence. " **I don't know how you were able to hit me with that attack, but it won't happen again,** " Giratina growled, rising back into the air.

DJ just grinned menacingly at the legendary, unperturbed by the glare he was getting. Without another word, DJ ran towards the legendary, summoning a dark purple bone in his paws and leaping at his opponent.

Giratina gave a bone chilling shriek and rose into the air, the spikes on his tendrils glowing with dragon type energy. In flurry of movement, all six of the legendary's tendrils lashed out at the Lucario with the intent of spearing the Lucario.

Despite this, DJ just kept running towards his prey, batting away the tendrils with his bone staff as he went. The former human never slowed down, his weapon moving just as fast if not faster then the renegade Pokémon's tendrils. Once close enough, he jumped into the air and bludgeoned the Giratina with his weapon, a resounding smack echoing through the void.

Not finished with his attack, DJ, as he was beginning to fall back to the ground, dismissed his weapon and formed an aura sphere. However, like his other attacks, his aura sphere too had changed. The typically cerulean blue sphere was pitch black in color, darker than even the void the currently resided in. With a feral roar, DJ threw the pitch black orb at the slightly stunned Giratina.

The orb exploded against the legendary's side, once more catching the ghost-dragon type off guard as the fighting type move, which should not have affected the legendary, actually hurt. Once Giratina's initial shock faded, the excruciating pain that blossomed from the attack made itself known. The legendary shrieked in pain, faltering in the air before recovering its balance.

" **This isn't happening,** " Giratina panted, pain evident in his expression.

Team Stardust, all of whom had regained consciousness a few minutes prior, watched in awe and fear as their friend continued to assault the legendary. The Lucario was moving so fast that Giratina could not touch him. It was fascinating to watch, but at the same time, the group was terrified at the state that their friend was in.

"Wh-What's going on?" Blitz asked, eyes wide in surprise. "How is DJ doing that?"

"I can feel the twisted power in him," Jackson said, shuddering at the dark feel that the Lucario was given out.

"It looks like what has been afflicting the other legendaries," Drake noted.

"I knew something like this would happen," Asura said, mentally cursing himself for not bringing his earlier concerns up with his father. "What could have triggered this?"

"DJ..." Katara whispered, fearing for her friend, not so much for his safety, but for his state of mind.

Giratina shrieked reached the team's ears, snapping their attention back to the battle. The giant Pokémon had once more fallen to the ground, his body littered with multiple wounds. The legendary lifted his head, clearly in pain, and glared weakly at DJ as he walked calmly towards him.

" **Damn you,** " Giratina growled. " **Damn you to hell.** "

" **Then I guess I'll see you there,** " DJ said with a sick grin, raising his paw and forming an aura sphere. With that, DJ fired the orb, catching both him and Giratina in the ensuing explosion.

With the duo temporarily obscured from view, Team Stardust waited with bated breath for the smoke to dissipate. Finally, they could begin to see the outlines of both DJ and Giratina through the smoke. When the smoke was completely gone, the team could see DJ standing over an unconscious Giratina, the legendary's body appearing to be a much lighter color.

DJ stared down at the unconscious legendary with an impassive look. He then shocked his team by once more lifting his arm and forming a pitch black orb in his paw. Just as he was about to fire, a long pink tongue shot out and grabbed the Lucario's arm, causing him to pause.

"It's over, DJ!" Katara said, her voice sounding slightly garbled due to her tongue being used to hold onto the Lucario. "Stop this!"

DJ glanced back at the Greninja, his red eyes boring into her pink pleading ones. In a sudden blur of movement, DJ had snatched his arm out of Katara's grasp and threw the orb at her all in the same movement.

With a startled gasp, Katara was barely able to jump out of the way before the orb created a large crater where she once stood. She looked at her friend, a broken expression on her face. "DJ..."

The former human growled, angered that his attack had been avoided, and charged forward, dark claws forming over his paws. Team Stardust all prepared to engage in battle, albeit reluctantly, not truly wanting to harm their friend. Just as the Lucario came into striking distance, a bright pink flash erupted from between the two sides, forcing DJ to stop.

A flicker of confusion appeared over DJ's face before he was suddenly thrown back by an unseen force. DJ crashed to the ground in an unceremonious heap. With a growl, DJ got back up only to be met with two bright blue eyes.

"Thank goodness I made it in time," the new arrival, a female by the sound of their voice, said in relief.

" **Who the hell are-** " DJ question was cut off when a sudden wave of drowsiness over came him. Before he even truly understood what was going on, he was unconscious, his color returning to its previous state.

Katara stepped forward, moving past her shell shocked teammates, and addressed the new arrival. "Who are you?"

The figure, a rather small pink feline with an overly long tail and bright blue eyes turned and smiled warmly at the Greninja. "My name is Mew," the pink cat answered, "and I'm here to help."

-Legend-

The Gallade's Guild's master sat stoically behind his desk, his fingers laced together, his eyes closed in concentration. After several seconds, he opened his eyes and stared forward.

"I know you are there. Show yourself," he said to seemingly empty air.

A second passed before a figure suddenly appeared before the Gallade. The figure grinned maliciously at the Gallade. " **I see that your senses have not dulled in your age** ," he said.

Tobias just scowled at the dark figure. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Tobias demanded, his voice stony.

" **You and your guild has been a thorn in my side for a while now,** " he said almost conversationally, as if simply talking about the weather. " **As such, I decided that I would personally deal with you.** "

"So you are the one causing all of this," Tobias stated, receiving a sly smirk from the figure. Tobias slowly stood, pulling himself to his full height. He glared heatedly at the being before him. "If you think I will just sit here and do nothing..."

The Gallade opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a spherical white stone with a green symbol inside. A bright red light then enveloped the psychic-fighting type, indicating the use of mega evolution. When the light faded, Tobias stood there in his mega evolved glory. He looked very similar to his original appearance, but with red plates now lining his much larger arm blades. He had a cape-like protrusion coming from his back.

"...THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!" Tobias finished, his voice rising to a shout, determination filling his voice.

The figure just smirked. " **I wouldn't have it any other way.** "


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

DJ vs DJ

"Y-You're Mew?!" Katara asked, though it came out as more of a squeak.

The floating pink cat giggled at the Greninja's antics and nodded. "That's right, I'm Mew. The most adorable legendary there is!" she said, posing dramatically.

"L-Lady Mew!" Asura exclaimed, bowing lowly, earning another giggle from the mother of all Pokémon.

"There's no need to bow," she said, smiling happily. "I'm not one for formalities."

"R-Right," Asura muttered before regaining his nerve. "Mew, why are you here?"

Mew's carefree smile dimmed significantly. She lowered herself to the ground, not enough to actually touch the ground, but enough for her tail to just brush the surface. "I sensed something was wrong with DJ."

"Sensed something?" Drake questioned, limping over to the group.

"I thought you went silent along with the other legendaries when his sister was brought to our world," Blade commented.

"I did and I'm sure you can guess why the other legendaries and I went silent," Mew said, earning nods all around.

"You all were afflicted with darkness," Katara answered. A sudden look of realization crossed the Greninja's face. "But that would mean you..."

"No, I was not affected by the darkness," Mew said with a shake of her head. "I fell out of contact because I was fleeing from the one causing this spread of darkness. I am only now able to reveal myself because I've given my pursuer the slip."

"Someone is, or was, physically going after the legendaries and corrupting them?" Jet asked in surprise.

"That must be the 'master' Veil was talking about," Grace reasoned.

"That's right," Mew nodded. "It was their desire to inflict darkness onto the legendaries, thus adding to the negative energy that is flowing through our world."

Team Stardust looked confused, not understanding the significance of the increase of negative energy, but Leaf and Katara looked positively horrified. "But that's what the dark wells are holding back. The negative energy of the world," Katara gasped. "If more and more negative energy is released..."

"Then all of the dark wells will overflow and activate simultaneously," Leaf finished. At that, the rest of Team Stardust gained horrified expressions as they realized the severity of this.

"You guys can't be serious?!" Bertha exclaimed, looking around as if what they had just said was a big joke and everyone was in on it. "All of the dark wells activating at once? There's no way!"

"I'm afraid that this is all true," Mew said grimly. "At the rate things are going, it won't be long until all of the wells have activated."

Bertha stared at the pink cat, her mouth working but no words came forth. The ground type finally shut her mouth and just collapsed, bringing her hands to her skull/helmet, muttering, "There's just no way..." over and over again. The rest of the team stood around silently, processing what they had just heard.

"This is it then," Blitz mumbled, not caring if anyone heard him. "This is the end of the world."

"No!" A suddenly shouted, causing many of the team to jump in surprise. They all looked to Asura who stood their visibly fuming, his hands clenched into tight fists. "I refuse to think that this is the end. There _has_ to be something we can do!" Asura said. His gaze shifted to Mew, the look of determination never fading. "Mew, is there anything that we can do?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believe there is," Mew said.

"Well, what is it?" Jackson practically demanded.

"From what I've seen, defeating the darkened legendaries lessens the negative energy in the world, or at the very least prevents more from being produced," Mew explained. "By defeating the remaining legendaries, we can keep the wells from activating."

"But what is to stop whoever it is from simply reafflicting the legendaries with darkness?" Leaf questioned. "Do they have some kind of immunity to darkness once they have been possessed by it?"

"I was actually getting to that," Mew said, not sounding upset over being interrupted. "No, you don't get immunity from darkness after being afflicted by it, unfortunately. The legendaries are still as vulnerable as they were when this first started. The only difference is that they're more aware of the dangers. As for how we stop them from being controlled again, the answer is simple." Mew paused, purposefully creating suspense. After several seconds of continued silence, she finally answered.

"The one causing this spread of darkness must be defeated!"

"Beat the one causing the spread?" Katara repeated, both shocked and a little put out by the simplicity of Mew's plan.

"That's so...simple," Jet said.

"Yeah, from the build up, I was thinking it would be something like some kind of experimental training that would make us legendaries, or something like that," Blitz commented.

Mew pouted at the less than enthused reactions from the young team. "Aww, but it's a good plan!"

"Yeah it is, but there's just one problem," Bertha said, earning a questioning look from Mew. "We don't know who is causing this!"

"Oh, I do!" Mew chirped, gaining disbelieving looks all around.

"And you're just _now_ mentioning this?" Jet grumbled.

"It never came up," Mew said flippantly before becoming serious once more. "Anyway, the one causing this is my counterpart, Mewtwo."

"Mew...two?" Katara asked. "They're the cause of all this?"

"Yes, but don't judge him too harshly," Mew implored. "He too has been afflicted by the darkness. He may be grumpy all the time, but he'd never do something like this on his own violation. He is as much a victim as any of the others."

"Regardless, he needs to be dealt with," Asura said. "Where is he?"

"That, I'm not sure of," Mew said sadly. "After he stopped chasing me, he went silent. I haven't been able to track him. Until I am able to find him, you all should focus on freeing the rest of the legendaries from the darkness."

"That makes sense," Asura said, not really liking the idea, but having no alternative.

"I guess there's nothing left to do but head back," Grace said reasonably.

"Wait!" Katara suddenly spoke up. "What about DJ?"

Asura cursed, completely forgetting about their friend. Said Lucario still slept peacefully, oblivious to what was going on around him.

"What was that power he was using?" Jet mused. "You guys told me about his primal aura, but that seemed different from what you all described."

It was Mew that answered. "That's because it wasn't. What you witnessed was the same darkness that has been effecting the legendaries."

"You mean he's gone dark?!" Blitz yelped, looking fearfully at DJ's sleeping form.

"Partially," Mew responded. "He was tainted by Mewtwo, the same as the other legendaries, but something happened. Instead of changing instantly, the darkness was suppressed, most likely due to his shining aura. In theory, because of this, the darkness should remain buried deep within DJ, never to be released unless provoked."

"Provoked?" Katara asked, remembering how DJ got when exposed to the darkness enveloping Cobalion and their first encounter with Spire. "You mean like from anger or even others affected by darkness?"

"That's right," Mew said. "That crystal he had further helped so that his darkness did not stir in the presence of another darkened Pokémon, but, with it destroyed..."

"He'll be susceptible," Asura finished, cursing under his breath.

"But what could have set him off enough to trigger his darkness?" Blitz asked.

"I would hazard a guess and say that his mentor falling caused his reaction," Mew said, sending a somber glance a little ways past Giratina's prone form. Following the psychic type's gaze, the team was treated with the horrible sight of Alistair's motionless form.

"Oh my Arceus," Grace gasped, covering her mouth with in horror. "Alistair..."

"He sacrificed himself for DJ," Asura reasoned, staring sadly at the older Lucario.

"He's still alive," Mew said, gaining the team's immediate attention. "I've been healing him since I got here. He's in a bad state and will need professional help as soon as possible."

"Then there's not a moment to lose," Asura said, moving to Alistair's form and carefully picking him up. "Mew, you need to get us all out of here."

"Right," Mew agreed. "I'll get you all out of here in a-"

"No."

Mew paused, eyes wide with surprise as she and Team Dawn Breaker turned to see DJ sitting up, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "What do you mean?" Mew asked, recovering from her stupor over seeing the Lucario conscious.

"It's too dangerous for me to go with you," DJ mumbled, his voice hardly audible. "After what I did to Giratina, after what I almost did to you all... I can't be trusted. It would be best if you left me here where I can't hurt anyone."

Everyone was shocked by the Lucario's proclamation, more so over the fact that he, the constantly optimistic and determined aura Pokémon, would suggest such a thing. His voice, his gaze, it all spoke to the defeat and guilt over what he had done. After several minutes of silence, Katara stepped forward.

"DJ," she began, "you can't mean that. You can't possibly think that you're a threat to us."

"No?" DJ laughed bitterly, getting to his feet. "You all were already scared that I would snap and attack you all again before this happened. Now what? Without by necklace, I can't keep my darkness in check. Whose to say that the moment I encounter another darkened legendary, I won't lose control? I'm to dangerous to take into battle."

The members of Team Stardust looked as if they wanted to argue, but they could find no fault in the Lucario's words. What he said was true, taking DJ into battle against more dark legendaries could trigger his own darkness and cause even more problems.

"Can't we just fight DJ?" Blitz asked, garnering many incredulous looks. "No, hear me out! We fought the other legendaries and released them from their darkness by beating them. So, why not do that with DJ."

"Normally, that would work, but DJ hasn't become fully dark," Mew said. "The only way to 'beat' the darkness out of him is for him to give into the darkness."

"Seeing what he did to Giratina, I would prefer not to face that," Blade threw in his own two cents.

"So it would be better for me to just stay here," DJ concluded depressedly. "I would be too much of a danger if I were to go back."

"There is an alternative," Mew suddenly spoke, her voice sounding hesitant.

"What is it?" Katara practically demanded, getting right into the psychic type's face.

"Okay, I'll tell you," Mew said awkwardly, floating a ways away from the Greninja and turning to DJ. A look of pity coming over her face. "The only way for you to be rid of your darkness without giving in to it, is to face it yourself."

"Face it...myself?" DJ questioned, completely confused.

"That's right," Mew confirmed. "I can send you to your own mindscape, where your darkness resides. Once there, it will be possible for you to do battle with it and defeat it, thus ridding your body from it."

DJ was silent for a few minutes as he contemplated Mew's words. "I'll do it," DJ finally said.

"W-Wait, wait, wait!" Mew squawked, almost falling out of the air. "It's incredibly risky! If you were to lose against your darkness, everything that is you, your personalty, your quirks, everything that makes you _you_ will be lost!"

"If that's the only way, then so be it. I will take that risk," DJ said, his eyes burning with rekindled fire.

"And we'll stand by you," Asura said. "You're part of the team and we stand by our own."

DJ smiled gratefully at the Medicham. "Thanks, Asura, but you guys need to go back home."

"WHAT?!" DJ winced at the sound of his team shouting at once.

"We're not leaving you, DJ," Asura argued. "I made the mistake fearing you power in the past, I will not make that mistake again!"

"Yeah, we're a team," Jackson added. "We stick together.

"This isn't up for discussion," DJ growled. When he saw that they were still going to argue, he cut them off. "If you guys stay here, then who will take Alistair back?"

That got everyone to be silent, all of them remembering the gravely injured Lucario next to them. Seeing that no one was going to speak, DJ pressed on. "He needs immediate help and he won't get that here. If you stay, then he won't make it."

"Not all of us have to go," Blade reasoned. "Some of us can stay here and-"

"And what?" DJ interrupted. "None of you can help me through this." DJ still saw the mutinous looks on his team's faces and was quick to alleviate them. "Look, guys, I promise that after I beat this, I'll head back."

Asura still looked skeptical, but one glance at the injured Alistair reaffirmed his decision. "Alright," he said. "We'll head back and get Alistair help, but you better promise to come back sans darkness."

"I promise," DJ said, nodding in ascent.

"Excellent," Mew chirped, clapping her paws. "Now, I'll go wake up Giratina so he can take you all back." With that, the pink legendary flew over to the unconscious serpent and began poking him incessantly. As she did that, Katara stepped up to DJ.

"I'm staying," Katara said with finality.

"Katara..." DJ began, only to stop at the determined look in the Greninja's eye.

"I have been with you since the beginning," she said calmly. "I told you that I would always be by your side and that includes now."

After several seconds of the two staring at each other, DJ looked away first. "Fine," he relented, just as a deep groan of pain echoed.

" **ARG. What happened** " Team Stardust turned and saw Giratina slowly rising. His wine red gaze first found Mew then Team Stardust and a look of confusion crossed his face. " **Lady Mew? What is going on? Why are there mortals in my domain?** "

He sounded slightly angry, but Mew either did not notice or did not care. "Long story short, you were under the control of darkness and brought them here. Now I need you to return them to Miracle Town so that Lucario can get medical help."

Giratina's gaze narrowed at the group. " **Which one?** "

"The one on laying on the ground," Mew said with a sweat-drop. "I'm helping the other one with something so leave him here."

"And me!" Katara added.

"And her," Mew nodded.

Giratina looked over the group again, stopping momentarily on DJ and Katara. " **Fine then,** " the ghost-dragon type. " **But I don't want these mortals stinking up my domain,** " added with a menacing growl.

"Uh, we won't?" DJ said uncertainly.

" **Good,** " Giratina grunted. " **The rest of you, get over here. I don't like to wait.** "

Asura nodded as he walked over to Alistair's unconscious form. He carefully picked up the fighting-steel type, mindful of his wounds, and walked over to the legendary. "Come on," he said. "We're leaving."

The rest of them nodded and made their way over to the legendary. Leaf followed, but hesitated. The grass type turned back towards DJ, a conflicted look on his face. "Alpha..."

"I'll be fine, Leaf," DJ assured, giving the Grovyle a reassuring smile.

Leaf still looked conflicted, but heeded the Lucario's words and went with the rest of the group. When all of them were assembled before the legendary, Giratina roared loudly. A wild wind erupted from around them and, in a matter of seconds, they were gone.

"Welp," Mew said after several seconds of silence. "Now that they're gone, let's get started!"

"You sound way to cheerful about all this," DJ grouched.

"When you get to be my age, you take everything in stride," Mew chirped before becoming serious. "Okay, for this I'll need you to sit down."

DJ nodded and sat on the ground, crossing his legs so that he was in a meditative pose. Mew nodded and floated down so that she was right in front of DJ. "Okay, I'm going to send you to your mindscape. Like I said, you will face your inner darkness, but you won't have any items when you go."

"So no mega stone," DJ said, getting a confirming nod from the petite legendary.

"That's right," she said. "You will be fighting your darkness as you are. Think of it as a battle of wills, except it's an actual battle."

"DJ, are you sure you want to do this?" Katara asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm sure," DJ affirmed, trying to smile, but it came out as more than a grimace.

"I can feel your fear, you know," Katara commented.

"I would hope so, because I'm freaking terrified," DJ laughed awkwardly, his nervousness palpable.

Katara just sighed fondly. "Just...be careful, okay?"

"Aren't I always." The deadpan stare that answered him sent DJ into another round of awkward chuckles. DJ turned back to Mew and nodded. "I'm ready."

Mew regarded him closely. "No, you're not." Before DJ could question that, Mew touched his forehead and everything went black.

-Legend-

DJ was falling. Slowly, quickly, DJ could not tell. He could not even tell which direction he was going, he could be going up for all he knew. He could not see anything either. Everything was just an inky black that DJ could not even see his own paws in front of his face.

Not a second later, light erupted from every direction, blinding DJ. When the light finally faded, DJ found himself standing on a platform, not unlike the one he had been on in the reverse world. All around DJ was the same inky blackness that had plagued him earlier.

" **So, you're here** ," a voice whispered, causing DJ to jump. Spinning around, he saw a Lucario except...different. Its colors were black and gray instead of blue and black. Its chest fur was an ash gray color, a shade lighter than their 'mask' and paws. Their eyes were a burning red.

"Who...are you?" DJ questioned, already having an idea. His reply was a sinister grin.

" **Take a guess.** "

"My darkness," DJ said, tensing in preparation for a fight.

" **Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner,** " the dark Lucario cheered, sarcasm dripping like venom. " **It was foolish of you to come here. Now I can finally take control.** "

"I'm here to rid myself of you," DJ snarled angrily.

DJ's darkness laughed loudly. " **Oh really? As I told you before, back during our encounter with Darkrai, I'm you, but better. How do you hope to beat someone who has all of your skills and techniques and uses them better?** "

"I've been fighting Pokémon stronger than myself for over a year," DJ said, summoning a bone.

" **True, but I'm like no other that you have faced,** " dark DJ said, summoning a bone of his own, this one a dark purple, his grin never leaving his face.

The two Lucario stared down one another, one grinning wildly and the other one frowning. Everything was silent between the two as they seemed content with observing the other. Then, as if spurred by an unspoken signal, both Lucario suddenly kicked off and charged each other.

The two fighting-steel types met halfway and DJ attacked first, swinging his bone like a bat. Unfortunately, the dark Lucario was quick on his feet and was able to duck under DJ's attack. Still in a crouch, the dark Lucario then made a jabbing motion at DJ's unprotected stomach with his bone.

DJ grunted in pain, barely able to step back to reduce the damage. With growl, DJ made another swing at the dark Lucario, but it was deflected by the dark creature's own bone rush. DJ's dark self grinned evilly before beginning a deadly assault of swings from his bone staff. DJ was hard pressed to defend against the deadly assault, but could not defend against all of them.

After a gap in the dark Lucario's attack, DJ jumped away, his body covered in several bruises. Breathing hard, DJ glared at his smirking counterpart. With a growl, DJ dismissed his bone staff and shot a quick aura sphere at his opponent.

The dark Lucario just grinned and cut through the attack with his attack. Just as he did this, the dark Pokémon's eyes widened as DJ was no suddenly in front of him. Before he could react, DJ's fist, covered in the orange energy of power-up punch, smashed into the dark Pokémon's face. With a crack, the dark version of DJ was sent flying across the platform.

Bouncing harshly across the ground, the dark Lucario rolled into a crouch, his weapon gone and a look of annoyance on his face. " **I see you've got your tricks.** "

"What? I thought you knew all my tricks," DJ goaded, summoning his metal claws on his right paw and dashing forward.

Dark DJ just growled in response and got back to his feet. As DJ reached him and swung a claw at him, the dark Pokémon lashed out with his left paw and batting away DJ's attack and returning with a power-up punch of his own, nailing the blue-eyed Lucario in the gut. DJ grunted in pain, but pushed through the pain, and smashed a power-up punch with his off paw into his counterpart's face before slashing across the chest of his darker self's chest.

Stumbling back slightly, the dark Lucario struck like a snake, clawing DJ across the face with a metal claw of his own. DJ cried out as the claws just barely missed his eyes. On instinct, DJ struck out with his foot, attempting to kick his darker self away. However, the dark Lucario avoided the attack and slammed twin power-up punches into DJ's chest and face.

With a cry of pain, DJ was jettisoned across the platform, landing in a heap several feat away. Before he could get up, a purple bone slammed into his ribs with enough force to actually kicked him into the air. Before DJ could fall back to the ground, the dark Pokémon's staff smashed into DJ, sending him crashing back to the ground and increased speed.

DJ gasped in both pain and from the air being forcibly ejected from his lungs. With a groan he rolled over onto all fours, coughing harshly. He raised his head only to see a pitch black aura sphere forming right in front of his face. With a grin from the darker of the two, the aura sphere was released and exploded.

-Legend-

Outside of DJ's mindscape, Katara watched anxiously as pained grimaces flashed across the Lucario's face.

"What's happening?" she asked Mew, worry filling his voice.

"It's as I feared," Mew muttered, more to herself than Katara. "He's losing."

"Losing?"

Mew turned away from DJ and looked at Katara, her blue eyes devoid of any emotion. "He's losing to his darkness," she clarified grimly. "If things continue as they are now, he will fall to his darkness."

Horror flooded Katara's expression as she whipped back around towards DJ. Already she could feel his emotions fluctuating and growing dimmer at the same time, as if they were being suppressed. "Come on DJ. Fight!"

-Legend-

DJ was flung across the platform, his mouth opened in a silent cry of pain. His body was littered with bruises and scratches, a testament to the damage he had sustained. He smashed into the platform, the stone cracking under him. With a large amount of effort, DJ opened his eyes only to yelp and roll out of the way as the dark Lucario, looking no worse for wear, slammed into the spot where DJ once lay, his feet sinking into the stone.

Rolling into a kneeling position, DJ kicked off the ground and hurling himself towards the other. The dark Lucario was unable to avoid the power-up punch that came his way and was sent skidding a short distance. The dark Pokémon recovered quickly, however, and formed another black aura sphere before launching it at DJ.

Eyes wide, DJ dove to the side, avoiding the sphere which exploded against the stone, sending debris everywhere. Laughing maniacally, the dark Lucario continued to fire aura sphere after aura sphere at his lighter counterpart. DJ was pressed to dodge the relentless attacks, each time just barely avoiding each time. Eventually, DJ got closer and closer to his darker self before he was close enough to strike.

In a blur of movement, DJ struck out with a power-up punch, striking the dark Lucario in the face. The powered up move, while not enough to knock the dark Pokémon down, it did cause his arm to swing wildly, causing the aura sphere to fly into the air and detonate harmlessly. However, before DJ could successfully pat himself on the back, his darker self suddenly lurched forward and buried his fist in DJ's stomach.

Spittle flew out of DJ's mouth as his darker self's significantly stronger power-up punch slammed into his stomach. His vision temporarily went white as pain exploded across his body. Less than a second later, DJ was hurled across the platform and skid across the stone, groaning in pain. His consciousness faded in and out as pain flooded his mind.

" **I guess that's the best you can do,** " the dark Lucario said, casually walking towards his downed counterpart. " **I guess it's good for you that I'll be taking your place.** "

"Don't get ahead of yourself," DJ growled out between pants of pain. The blue-eyed Lucario pushed himself to his feet, almost falling several times. He then glared weakly at the darker version of himself, whose expression seemed to reflect amusement, as if DJ was a child trying to say a word. This only furthered to anger the former human.

"I won't be beaten so easily!" DJ roared, bringing his paws together and charging up an aura sphere.

" **Cute,** " Dark DJ harrumphed, charging up his own aura sphere. Both glowing spheres continued to swell with power, growing to the sizes of their casters. With an unspoken signal, both Lucario sent out their attacks towards the other.

The black and blue spheres screamed across the platform before crashing into each other with a cacophonous boom. Streaks of energy arched out from the two clashing attacks, resembling bolts of lightning from a storm, striking the ground and leaving deep gouges. At first, it appeared that the two attacks were equally matched, neither of them able to push the other back. However, this was not the case as black began to overtake blue as Dark DJ's attack began to overtake the original's. In a matter of seconds, the black aura sphere had completely swallowed up DJ's blue aura sphere, almost doubling in size before continuing on its path towards the now shell shocked DJ.

DJ stared, completely shocked and horrified at the attack heading towards him. He snapped out of it and attempted to dodge out of the way, but the attack was too massive. The dark energy swallowed up the former human before exploding with a tremendous amount of force. Debris was flung in every direction and a wall of smoke stretched over the entire platform.

The darker Pokémon just smiled gleefully, not at all put off by his lack of vision. He casually waited for the smoke to fully disperse and surveyed the damage he had caused.

Before the dark Pokémon lay a large crater that took up a good quarter of the platform and was nearly three feat deep. In the center of the crater lay DJ, prone and curled on his side, showing no sign of movement of consciousness.

The dark Lucario grinned savagely and stepped into the crater and casually walked up to DJ's prone form. With a condescending scoff, the dark Lucario reached down and grabbed DJ by his throat and lifted him into the air, high enough so DJ's feet no longer touched the ground. Dark DJ chuckled as his lighter counterpart weakly grappled with his arm, attempting to break free.

" **I'm surprised you're still conscious,** " the dark Lucario said with a sadistic grin. " **No matter. It will make casting you into the darkness all the more satisfying.** "

Before DJ could question what his darker half meant, a black pool appeared below him. Darkness swirled like thick black gel, churning languidly, leading to nowhere. DJ struggled harder, but it was futile.

" **Good bye, my light,** " Dark DJ said, almost lovingly, before dropping DJ straight into the inky pit.

DJ landed with wet splat. The surface almost felt like falling on a water bed, the substance under him actually displacing him, causing DJ to bounce slightly. Then he started to sink.

Cold gel began to give way under him, pulling him deeper into the substance. DJ tried to struggle out of the substance, but it held fast to him, sticking to his fur and pulling him deeper. Soon, thin tendrils began to creep out of the pool and wrapped around DJ, pulling him under even faster. DJ tried to scream, but one of the tendrils wrapped around his mouth, silencing him.

The dark Lucario just laughed as he watched his counterpart being pulled into the dark pit. DJ could only watch his counterpart helplessly as darkness began to creep into his vision.

-Legend-

"This isn't good," Mew commented.

Darkness was creeping up DJ's still form. Slowly, his fur was shifting to the color he had been when he was fighting Giratina.

"What's happening?" Katara asked in a panic.

"He's lost," Mew said. "Katara, back away!"

"What?"

"He's lost himself to the darkness," Mew said, physically pulling Katara away from DJ. "He'll transform in a matter of seconds. I need to get you out of here before he turns!"

"No!" Katara shouted, wrenching her arm out of Mew's grip and racing towards her friend's side. "Dammit, DJ! You said you'd beat this! You said you'd come back!"

"Katara, it's too late," Mew said, trying to get Katara to understand, but the Greninja refused to listen.

"Snap out of it DJ!" Katara shouted, right into DJ's unresponsive face. "You're better than this! Don't let yourself be lost to darkness! DJ!"

-Legend-

Within DJ's mindscape, the dark Lucario grinned as the last of his lighter half disappeared beneath the darkness. The pool then began to solidify, returning to the hard stone of the platform. " **Hmph. That's the end of that.** "

The dark Lucario then turned around and began to walk away. As he did, a slightly distorted voice began to echo across the space, growing louder and softer at random times. Dark DJ frowned, confused by the words. The seemed feminine, but with the words distorted so much, he could hardly tell. He could here the occasional words of "...don't give up," "...come back..." but it made no sense.

The dark Pokémon just shook his head, disregarding the sounds. However, another Lucario heard the same words and knew exactly what it was.

"Katara..."

The platform suddenly began to shake violently as if experiencing an earthquake. The Dark Lucario stumbled, nearly falling to his knees. He spun around, confused over what was happening. As he did so, a large pillar of blue light shot out from the center of the crater where he had dropped DJ.

" **What is this?!** " the dark Lucario shouted, struggling to remain on his feet. His eyes narrowed as a figure began to rise up through the pillar of light. " **You...** "

-Legend-

"GAH!" Katara cried out in surprise as she was thrown back by the shockwave that erupted from DJ. Mew immediately rushed to the Greninja's side and helped her up. Shaking her head, Katara refocused on DJ and gasped. "That's..."

"His shining aura," Mew said, a smile forming on the pink feline's face. "He managed to unlock his shining aura."

True to her the legendary's words, DJ's entire body was covered by a flame-like blue light. His originally pained expressions replaced by a serene calm.

"That's the DJ I know," Katara said, a smile forming over her face.

-Legend-

" **What the hell is this?!** " Dark DJ demanded, glaring at the glowing Lucario that now stood in front of him. " **I threw you into darkness!** "

"Even in the darkest of shadows, there will always be a light to show you the way," DJ said, his voice calm and flat.

" **What?** " the dark Lucario questioned, utterly confused.

"Nah, I'm messing with you!" DJ grinned, his calm facade falling as he laughed. A second later, he became serious again. "Sorry, but I couldn't just let myself be consumed by darkness, not when I made a promise."

" **A promise?** " the darker of the two asked incredulously, growing angry at his lack of an answer. " **You resisted the darkness for a** _ **promise**_ **?! That's impossible! You can't come back from the brink because you made a promise!** "

"Whatever," DJ said nonchalantly, further infuriating his darker self. "I honestly don't care how I resisted it. All I know is that I did, and I will beat you."

" **Really?** " the dark Lucario laughed condescendingly. " **You think just because you're glowing, you can beat me?! Don't hold your breath!** "

With a maniacal grin, the dark Lucario charged forward, his fist becoming alight with dark orange energy. " **No matter how many changes you make, I will always be the better between us!** " he shouted as he reared his fist back to punch DJ. " **You will fall into dark-** "

Dark DJ was cut off when his outstretched fist was suddenly halted. DJ, at speeds that his darker half could not follow, had lashed out and grabbed his counterpart's wrist, stopping the attack an inch from his face. Eyes wide, the dark Lucario fought to pull his arm back, but DJ did not budge, his glowing blue eyes boring holes in his darker half.

"I won't lose to you," DJ said with such finality that Dark DJ shivered. Before the darker half could even react, he was thrown across the platform via an incredibly strong power-up punch.

Dark DJ flew across the platform, bouncing across the stone like a rock being skipped across a lake. When he finally stopped and regained his senses, he was forced to roll out of the way as DJ suddenly appeared above him, another power-up punch poised to strike. With nothing stopping his attack, DJ punched the ground, his fist causing a small crater as the hard stone caved in.

As this happened, Dark DJ had gotten to his feet and summoned a bone staff. Twirling it once, the dark Lucario attack, swinging the staff towards the back of DJ's neck. Just before the attack could make contact, DJ spun around, his fist tearing up a chunk of stone as it came out of the ground, and grabbed the staff. With a quick tug, DJ pulled his darker self towards him before punching him in the gut with another power-up punch.

Dark DJ stumbled back, clutching his stomach, his face twisted in pain. He glared hatefully at DJ's calm face and growled. With a roar, he summoned his metal claws and swiped wildly at his lighter half, all form and decorum lost.

DJ expertly weaved in and out of the dark Lucario's attacks with minimum effort. He then suddenly lunged forward and slashed at his darker self with his own metal claw attack. The dark Lucario cried out in pain as sharp claws tore through his fur and skin and stumbled back once more. As he did, DJ summoned an aura sphere and fired it at the other in the blink of an eye. The dark Lucario attempted to claw through the attack with his metal claws, but the sphere shattered his claws and continued on to strike the dark Lucario.

A pained cry escaped the dark Lucario as he was thrown to the ground, his chest smoking slightly. With a groan he managed to roll over and get to his feet, swaying slightly. He looked up at his glowing counterpart with an expression of shock and incomprehension.

" **How is this possible?** " he questioned.

"Sorry, but in this world, light always triumphs over darkness," DJ said, holding up a single paw and forming another aura sphere that reached massive size in a matter of seconds. Without another word, DJ unleashed his attack.

The dark Lucario growled and formed his own aura sphere at fired it at the encroaching attack, but it burst like a water balloon as soon as it made contact with the other attack. With wide eyes and a scream of denial, DJ's attack met its mark, swallowing the dark Lucario in bright light. His outline could be seen within the glowing sphere before it began to fade as if he were dissolving. DJ's darkness gave a final scream before the aura sphere exploded with enough force to shake the platform.

DJ shielded his eyes as dust and debris rushed passed him, fueled by the massive shockwave his attack had generated. When it finally cleared, DJ's darker half was nowhere in sight.

"It's over," DJ sighed in relief. "It's actually over."

That was when the world suddenly went black.

-Legend-

DJ's eyes snapped open and gasped loudly. He clutched his chest tightly, breathing deeply as he tried to regain his composure. Before he could something tackled him, sending him to the ground.

"Thank Arceus you're okay!" DJ's eyes focused on what was pinning him to the ground and saw a familiar Greninja.

"Katara?" DJ asked, earning a watery scowl from the water-dark type.

"You had me worried you ass!" Katara shouted, slapping him weakly on the arm. She glared for a second longer before breaking down and hugging the Lucario. "I was so worried!"

"Sorry," DJ said, feeling slightly ashamed as he patted her back.

"Glad to see you're alright," Mew said, floating over to the duo. "I was worried that the darkness was too much for you."

"It almost was," DJ confessed, "If it wasn't for my shining aura, I would have lost."

"Yes, well regardless, the darkness has left you," Mew said, smiling happily. "You're cured."

Hearing this, DJ's entire form melted in relief, collapsing into Katara's arms. "Thank Arceus," he mumbled.

Katara smiled, relieved to hear that her friend was free of the darkness that had been plaguing him for so long. The two friends hugged for a while, the world around them meaning nothing to them. They only broke apart when Mew coughed.

"Um, not to break up this moment, but I should probably get you out of here," Mew said, shifting around awkwardly. "As I'm sure you could tell, Giratina doesn't like mortals in his domain."

"Right, let's get back to Miracle Town," DJ yelped, a blush prominent on his face.

"Agreed!" Katara squeaked, a mirroring blush on her face.

The two Pokémon glanced at one another and seemingly just noticed their current positions. They yelped and jumped apart as if burned, their blushes magnified tenfold.

Mew chuckled at the duo. "Well, let's get you two out of here."

Mew's blue eyes glowed bright pink, energy coursing through her. The same pink glow flowed around DJ and Katara, slowing creeping into their vision until all they saw was pink.

"Once you get back, keep fighting the other legendaries," they heard Mew say. "I'll try and find where Mewtwo is hiding."

With those final words, DJ and Katara felt the world pull out from under them and were sent flying into nothing.

-Legend-

DJ and Katara's vision flooded back all at once followed by the sensation of their feet meeting earth. Overcome by these sensations, the duo collapsed on the ground.

"I feel like I'm going to hurl," DJ moaned, holding his stomach, the world still spinning.

"Please don't," Katara groaned, awkwardly trying to roll away from the Lucario.

After several seconds of recovering, the duo managed to get to their feet. Looking around, they saw that they were back in the training fields that Giratina had abducted them from.

"We're back," Katara said in relief.

"Yeah, but it looks like we missed out on something," DJ muttered.

Katara looked over at her friend in confusion, but he did not meet her gaze. Instead, his eyes were locked straight ahead. Katara frowned in confusion. She turned to follow DJ's gaze and gasped at what she saw.

Miracle Town was burning.


	33. Chapter 33

**Legend 33**

The Final Mission

Unlike when Luke attacked the town a year ago, Miracle Town was now in utter ruin. Whole buildings had been demolished, reduced to smoldering piles of rubble. The denizens, hopefully all of them, of the once beautiful town flooded the streets. Children were crying for their parents, adults screaming in fear and horror as they watched their town burn. Water types and other guild members were assisting where they could, but there was just too much.

"Arceus," Katara whispered in abject horror, her hands covering her mouth. "What happened here?"

"I don't know," DJ asked, a deep frown on his face. "But whatever it was, it was intentional."

"Katara, DJ!" The duo turned and saw Cana hobbling towards the duo. In her arms was a slightly bruised and very scared Mai.

"Oh, Arceus! Cana!" Katara cried, rushing to the Kangaskhan side, catching her before she could fall. DJ too rushed to the normal type's side and took Mai into his arms, giving Katara an easier time in maneuvering the elder Pokémon into a sitting position and against a tree stump.

"Bless you child," Cana said, sighing in relief over being off her feet. She held out her hands for Mai and DJ obliged. Mai instantly clutched her mother like a lifeline, shivering and whimpering in a way that pulled at the two guild members' heart strings.

"What happened here, Cana?" Katara asked, her voice light but urgent.

"I'm not sure," the normal type confessed, shifting Mai into a more comfortable position. "I was just minding my storage facility when the ground started to shake. I originally thought it was an earthquake, but then the explosions started."

Mai gave another whimper and squirmed in her mother's grip. A few seconds later, the little Kangaskhan had fled to the safety of her mother's pouch. Cana sighed at this but continued regardless. "The explosions kept occurring every few seconds. I thought maybe it was someone's training getting out of hand, but then the explosions kept getting closer. Before I could get out, another explosion went off and my building collapsed on top of me."

"Are you okay!" Katara asked immediately.

"Don't worry about me," Cana said, laughing weakly. "I'm not as frail as I look. I'm just glad Mai didn't get hurt worse than she was."

"Do you know what was causing the explosions?" DJ asked.

"Unfortunately, now," Cana responded. "By the time I managed to escape the rubble with Mai, the city was already destroyed." She looked at the duo for a moment. "I think you two should head over to the guild. I think the explosions started from over in that direction."

"But what about you?" Katara asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine child," Cana reassured. "You two just get the bottom of this."

DJ nodded in assent and raced off, but Katara still looked conflicted. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes, yes. Now go do your job," Cana said, smiling at the duo.

Katara finally nodded, still not feeling okay with leaving the Kangaskhan alone, but knew that they had a job to do. With one last worried look, Katara raced after her friend, doing her best not to look at the destruction that surrounded her.

-Legend-

Katara finally reached her partner at the drawbridge. When she reached him, the Lucario was just standing there, staring blankly ahead.

"I finally caught up," Katara panted, coming to a stop next to DJ. When she received no response, Katara frowned. "DJ?"

DJ continued to say nothing. After a few seconds, he slowly raised his arm and pointed straight ahead. Katara followed where he was pointing and gasped. Like the rest of Miracle Town, the guild had not been spared. Half of the building looked as if it were blown outwards while the rest of it was greatly singed and smoldering. The bridge was heavily damaged, but still crossable.

"This isn't good," DJ muttered before grabbing Katara's arm. "Come on."

The two of them ran across the bridge and entered the guild. When they entered they were horrified to see the state of the inside of the guild was the same as the town. Desks, bulletin boards, files, and everything else that was not nailed down was strewn across the floor. Pokémon, both guild members and citizens, filled the room. Some were talking rapidly with one another while others were laying on the ground, either in pain or unconscious.

"This is terrible!" Katara exclaimed, stunned to see the state of the guild.

"Katara! DJ!" The duo turned towards the voice and saw Asura and Grace making their way towards them. All of them wore looks of relief yet panic and worry as well.

"Asura! Grace!" Katara called as the group reached them.

The Medicham came to a stop and looked DJ up and down. "Good to see you're still with us," he said with a small smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy," DJ said with a nod. "But that doesn't matter now, what happened here?"

"The guild was attacked," Asura answered.

"By what? A tornado?" Katara asked incredulously.

"No. A legendary," Asura answered, causing Katara's mouth to snap shut.

"What?" DJ asked, eyes wide with surprised.

"A legendary broke in and attacked the guild," Grace answered. "Guildmaster Gallade tried to stop them, but even he was beaten. He's in intensive care along with Alistair."

"No way," Katara muttered. "Even Guildmaster Gallade..."

"Do we know which legendary it was?" DJ asked.

"Yeah, we do," Grace said before falling silent. When the steel-fairy type failed to clarify who the attacker was, DJ grew irritated.

"Well? Who was it?!"

"Mewtwo," Asura said, causing DJ to pause. "My father said that it was Mewtwo that attacked him."

"Mewtwo..." DJ whispered. "It was Mewtwo."

Asura nodded. "He also left you something."

DJ blinked owlishly. "Huh? He left me something?"

Asura nodded wordlessly and held out an envelope. DJ took the paper with slightly shaking paw, noting that it had a broken wax seal. "You already opened it?"

"No, I didn't. The one who found it did," Asura said.

"But you know what it says," DJ said. It wasn't a question.

"I do," Asura answered, saying nothing else.

DJ stared at his leader for a second longer before turning his attention back to the envelope in his paws. He cautiously pulled out the letter, holding as if he feared that it would bite him. Almost reverently, DJ read the letter.

 _DJ,_

 _As I am sure that you are aware, I am Mewtwo. I bet you are wondering how I know who you are, but the fact of the matter is, I know all about you. I know that you are a human sent to this world to stop me after Mew's original champion failed. I know that it was you who stopped my original plan to unlock the dark wells, forcing me to resort to corrupting my brethren myself. I also know that you joined this guild and became a part of Team Stardust._

 _So you see, little human, I know all about you and you have been nothing but a thorn in my side._

 _I tried to get you out of the way by using the other human to dispose of you, but he failed. After that, I tried to infect you with the same darkness that has corrupted the other legendaries, but you some how resisted it. I even tried sending darkened legendaries to the areas you were at, but you still continued to be a thorn in my side. So, I revised my plan._

 _Seeing as attacking you has ended in utter failure, I will now attack those close to you. I have set fire to your town, left your guildmaster bloody and broken, and that is only the beginning. I will continue to lay waste to everything and everyone you love until you are alone._

 _However, I am not completely without mercy. If you come to me and face me in battle, I will leave all your little friends alone. All you have to do is come to Desolate Plateau and face me. You have one day to decide your course of action. After one day, well...I'm sure you can use your imagination._

 _So run, little human. Run to your demise._

 _Mewtwo._

By the end of the letter, DJ's paws were shaking. A multitude of emotions flashed in his eyes. Anger, fear, pain, before settling on fury.

"DJ, I know what you thinking," Asura said, gaining the Lucario's attention, "but I can't let you go."

The paper crinkled in DJ's paws. "What?" DJ asked, his voice dangerously dipping into anger.

"You are not to go to Desolate Plateau," Asura said, keeping his gaze. "

The letter tore. "Are you kidding me?" DJ growled. "He's threatening to attack everyone I know. I have to-"

"No," Asura interrupted. "You don't have to do anything. This doesn't just involve you. Mewtwo attacked our home, our guild, our leader. This problem involves all of us!"

DJ growled, clearly not pleased with what Asura was saying. "But this is all because of me! Mewtwo attacked this place because I was here!"

"That doesn't change the fact that this is a guild matter," Asura growled back, now openly glaring at the Lucario.

DJ growled right back, stepping forward so that his forehead was almost touching Asura. "It's my fault that this is happening. _I_ have to do this or else more of you will get hurt!"

"You're not doing this alone and that's final," Asura said, refusing to back down.

The two Pokémon glared at one another, neither of them blinking or showing any sign of backing down. After several tense minutes, it was Grace that broke up the duo.

"Okay, enough you two!" the shiny Mawile snapped, stepping between the two and physically separating them. "We're all teammates here, there's no reason to be at each other's throats, especially at a time like this. Now, DJ," she said, turning to the former human, "I know your upset by all this, but you have to think. Mewtwo defeated Guildmaster Gallade by himself then destroyed the town. Do you really want to fight someone like that alone."

DJ, reluctantly, deflated. "No, but..."

"As I said, I understand where you're coming from, but you have to think smart. If we all go together, we stand a better chance of beating Mewtwo, okay?" DJ frowned, not wanting to concede, but he saw the logic in Grace's words. Eventually he nodded, sharply, earning a smile from Grace. "Good," she said. "Then we can all rest up and head out tomorrow-"

"Tomorrow?!" DJ suddenly barked. "Are you kidding?! The note said I had to be there tomorrow and it will take us a day to get to Desolate Plateau!"

"DJ, no one is in any condition to go into a fight so soon," Grace said placatingly. "We've all taken a lot of damage from our fight with Giratina and everyone else in the guild is helping out in Miracle Town. There's no other way."

"But Mewtwo said that I would only have a day before he attacks again," DJ argued. "If I don't go now-"

"You're not going and that's the end of it," Asura snapped. With a final glare, he spun on his heel and marched off.

Grace sent the Lucario an apologetic look. "Sorry, he's just tense because of what happened to Guildmaster Gallade. He really is worried about you and he doesn't want you to get hurt. So please, wait?"

DJ said nothing to indicate that he had heard the Mawile. She gave the Lucario one more piteous look, before hurrying off towards Asura, leaving DJ and Katara alone.

Katara tentatively, touched her friend's arm. "DJ? Are you okay."

"I'm fine," the former human said waspishly, causing Katara to flinch minutely. He then turned and marched towards the exit.

"DJ?" Katara asked, taking a step after him, intending to follow.

"I'll just need some time alone," DJ called back, exiting the guild.

Katara stopped at that. She frowned at her friend's retreating back, worry and sadness filling her gaze.

-Legend-

DJ ran quickly towards the woods, leaving Miracle Town behind. He paused, just over the hill that looked over the town, or what was left of it. A somber expression made its way onto his face as he gazed at the burning wreckage, remembering the time he had spent within. It was with heavy heart that DJ turned away from his home.

"Goodbye," he murmured. "I wish things could have been different."

Just as DJ was about to begin to run through the woods, a voice stopped him. "DJ!"

Whipping around, DJ was shocked to see Katara jogging over to him. "Katara?"

The Greninja reached DJ's spot and stopped, bending over and panting in fatigue. "Thank Arceus I caught up," she rasped out.

"What are you doing here?" DJ asked angrily.

Katara regained her breath and stood to her full height, looked at DJ reproachfully. "I forget I can feel your emotions. You never intended to wait for everyone to recover. You're going to face Mewtwo!"

"Don't try to stop me," DJ growled, not bothering to deny Katara's accusation. "I won't allow Mewtwo to hurt anyone else that I care about. I'm going to end this once and for all."

"I'm not here to stop you."

"If I don't act now you all will-" DJ paused. "What'd you say?"

"I said, I'm not here to stop you," Katara said, giggling at the shocked look on DJ's face. "I'm here to help."

"H-Help?" DJ repeated, looking utterly lost.

"Mhm," Katara hummed, nodding her head. "What Grace said was right. Mewtwo's attack was an attack on all of us. I won't let you go through this alone."

"Katara..." DJ tried to argue, but was cut off by Katara.

"No, DJ! You're not doing this by yourself! We started this whole adventure together and we'll end it together!"

DJ was taken aback by the ferocity of Katara's gaze. He did not need to feel her emotions to know that she was dead serious and would not back down. With a resigned sigh, DJ relented. "Alright," he said. "You can come."

"Yes!" Katara cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

DJ chuckled at his friend's antics before becoming serious. "We'll need to be careful. Mewtwo beat Guildmaster Gallade. Chances are that we'll be pushed to our limits."

"Right," Katara said, nodding determinedly.

"Then let's go," DJ said before breaking out into a run, Katara jogging right behind him.

The duo continued to run, crossing through the woods and into the fields, heading towards the plateau. After a few minutes of running, Katara broke the silence. "DJ?"

"Hm?" DJ grunted.

"When you ran off, you were planning on fighting Mewtwo alone." It was not a question.

"Yeah."

"After what he did to Guildmaster, and the town, did you...did you think that you could beat him by yourself?"

"..."

"Do you...still think that you can beat him, with just me as back up?"

"...Let's just worry about getting to there," DJ responded, not looking at Katara and increasing his speed.

Katara frowned, both in annoyance and sadness, but kept the pace. The two of them continued in silence.

-Legend-

The duo arrived at the plateau the following evening, the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon. The stone path that they had been traveling narrowed, leading straight to a set of long staircase that led up to the plateau itself. The duo stood silently at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up at the plateau, unable to see what was at the top.

"This is the place?" DJ asked.

"According to the map," Katara answered, looking nervous. "Is...is this really it? The final battle?"

"I guess so," DJ said, his blank face only betrayed by the nervousness he was emitting through his bond with Katara.

"What do you think will happen after Mewtwo's defeated?" Katara asked worriedly. "I mean, this is what you were brought to this world to do, stop the dark wells and all. Do you think you'll...you'll be sent back to the human world?"

DJ paused, his thoughts coming to a halt. "...I don't know," he whispered, suddenly overcome with a new wave of fear. He truly did not know what would happen to him after he stopped the calamity and that unknown terrified him. He then took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"We can't afford to think about that now," he said, his blue eyes resolute. "Right now, we need to do what is best for the rest of the world."

"Right," Katara murmured, sadness edging into her voice. She quickly masked her sadness by gaining a determined look. "Okay then. Let's do this."

DJ glanced at his friend. The Greninja had stayed with him through thick and thin, ever since she found him all those months ago. Now, here she stood, bravely staring in the face of danger right next to him. While he had originally been intent on facing Mewtwo alone, DJ was incredibly grateful that his friend was with him.

With a final nod, the duo ascended the steps. Win or lose, both members of Team Stardust resolved to give it everything they had.

-Legend-

The sun had completely fallen by the time the duo made it up all the stairs. The stars shone bright in the inky blackness and the moon hung full in the sky. The plateau was nothing special in terms of looks, basically a large ledge at the top of a mountain. The plateau did have a rather fantastic view of the surrounding forest. Distantly, the duo could just make out the remnants of Miracle Town, though it was very hard to see in the dark. However, there was something missing.

"Where's he?" DJ questioned, anxiously looking around.

"You don't think he left, do you?" Katara asked worriedly.

"He said we had until the end of today!" DJ shouted, beginning to panic. _Were we too late?_ he thought, his mind racing. _Did Mewtwo think that I wasn't coming? Will he hurt everyone because he thought I wasn't going to show up?!_

Before DJ's thoughts could descend to even greater worry, a smooth voice echoed across the plateau. "So, you came. I will admit, I thought you might not come."

Both DJ and Katara looked around wildly for the source of the voice, but could see nothing around them. Annoyed, DJ stepped forward with a growl sneaking past his lips. "Where are you!"

"Keep your fur on," the voice chuckled darkly, seemingly amused by the Lucario's anger. "If you want me to show myself, then I will be happy to oblige."

As this was said, a sudden burst of light erupted from the center of the plateau, forcing DJ and Katara to shield their eyes. When the light faded, standing in the center of the plateau was a lone figure.

Said figure was tall, taller than both DJ and Katara. He appeared to be an amalgamation of a humanoid and a feline, with two blunt horns on the top of their head. His skin was a dark ashy color with a long pitch black tail. The figure had three digits on each hand, each ending in a rounded tip. A tube protruded from the back of his head and stuck to the very top of their spine.

The figure grinned devilishly at the two Pokémon before them. "Well, well, well. It is nice to finally meet you, face to face...DJ."

A chill went down DJ's spine as the figure spoke his name. Swallowing thickly, DJ spoke, trying to sound confident. "Mewtwo, I presume."

"You presume correctly," the figure practically purred. His blood red gaze then shifted to Katara. "Oh? You brought a friend."

DJ tensed and unconsciously moved towards Katara so that he was in front of her. Mewtwo noticed this and just grinned even wider.

"Not that I have anything against that," Mewtwo said, his words not sounding reassuring at all. "Though I expected you to bring more firepower. Then again, after my little visit to your town, I suppose that there weren't many 'able bodies' available."

DJ inhaled sharply through his nose, his temper beginning to simmer beneath his skin. He knew that Mewtwo was trying to get a rise out of him, the smug smirk on the legendary's face was proof of that, but it still burned the Lucario hearing the legendary speak so nonchalantly about the damage he had caused. The psychic type noticed this and his smirk elevated.

"In fact," the legendary continued, "I'm rather surprised you were able to wrangle up anyone to accompany here. Especially after your encounter with Giratina. Not that I'm surprised that you survived, after all, you had my _gift_ to help you."

If Mewtwo was expecting DJ to be surprised or confused over the revelation of Mewtwo's 'gift', he was sorely mistaken. Still grinning, a look of confusion made its way across the psychic type's face when he saw the Lucario grin knowingly, as if he knew something that the legendary did not.

"Sorry, but I don't have your _gift_ anymore," DJ said, his own smug grin on his face. "I conquered and expelled it from myself."

For a split second, Mewtwo's mask fell. His previous condescending and cocky smirk had fallen, replaced by a deep scowl. Confusion and anger burned in blood red eyes as the Mewtwo took in what DJ had said. Then, as quickly as it came, Mewtwo's emotions were gone, replaced by a blank mask, though DJ still sensed the legendary's anger simmering just beneath the surface.

"How...unexpected," Mewtwo said, his voice tight. "I take it Mew was the cause."

"That's right," DJ said, confidence building. "I'm no longer under your influence."

"I see," Mewtwo said. He then sighed, almost sounding disappointed. "Such a shame. I confess that my intention over calling you here was to impress upon that darkness and turn you like I did with the other legendaries."

"Yeah, well that plan failed!" Katara said, speaking up for the first time since Mewtwo's appearance. The legendary glared minutely at the Greninja, causing her to gulp and take half a step back.

"You should learn to speak when spoken to," Mewtwo chided coldly. "Regardless, I suppose you are correct. I can no longer use DJ to cause more negative energy. I guess you just enjoy being a thorn in my side, oh well." Mewtwo shrugged, appearing to not care that his plans had been foiled. "After this, I will need to deal with my counterpart."

"You won't be dealing with anyone!" DJ shouted defiantly. He raised his right arm and slapped his mega bracelet, prompting his mega evolution.

"Mega evolution already?" Mewtwo asked, chuckling lightly.

"It would be stupid to not take you seriously after everything you've done," DJ commented, the red glow of his mega evolution fading.

"True," Mewtwo said.

All at once, then tension in the air intensified to the point where it literally felt like gravity was pushing down on the two exploration team members. While Mewtwo's body language said calm and lax, the power he was giving off screamed danger. The legendary smirked, appearing to have sensed the duo's trepidation.

"Well, if you two really are serious about fighting me..." Mewtwo spread out his arms as if he was inviting the duo to come to him. "Then come and let us end this once and for all."

DJ and Katara glanced at each other. Their expressions were grim, but both of them saw the determination in the other's eyes. With a quick nod, they turned their attention back towards the still smirking Mewtwo. With an unspoken signal, the duo charged forward, both of them determined to defeat Mewtwo and stop the dark well from awakening.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

Shadows of the End

Mewtwo stood stock still as DJ and Katara charged towards him, an arrogant smirk playing over his face. He hardly even reacted when DJ reached him and threw a punch at his face. Just before DJ's fist made contact, Mewtwo's eyes flashed purple and DJ froze. Eyes wide with shock and confusion, DJ was suddenly lifted into the air and thrown across the plateau, all the way to the stairs.

Katara, seeing her friend get sent flying, hesitated, her run becoming a slight jog as her eyes followed DJ. That hesitation was all Mewtwo needed. Before Katara could react, Mewtwo was suddenly in front of her, a ghostly orb of black energy forming in his hand. With a grin, Mewtwo pushed the orb into Katara's stomach and released his attack.

Katara cried out in pain as the orb carried her across the plateau before detonating. Katara fell from the sky and collapsed onto DJ, who was just getting up. A pained wheeze escaped DJ as his friend pushed him right back into the ground.

"Sorry," Katara muttered, rolling off the Lucario.

"It's fine," DJ grumbled, getting to his feet and glaring at Mewtwo. Said psychic type grinned and started to clap slowly.

"Well, that was impressive," Mewtwo drawled sarcastically. "You _really_ showed me what's for!"

DJ growled, fury burning in his eyes. With a particularly harsh snarl, the Lucario formed an aura sphere in between his paws. He quickly pushed more energy into the sphere before firing it at the psychic type.

Mewtwo, once more, stood still as the attack raced towards them. When it was only a few feat away, Mewtwo raised his arm and, in an almost lazy movement, batted the attack away like it was a tiresome fly. However, as soon as he did this, and his arm passed through his vision, DJ was suddenly there. With a triumphant cry, the Lucario sent a power-up punch directly into the Mewtwo's face, snapping the legendary's head to the side.

DJ grinned, ecstatic that he had finally hit the smug legendary, but that grin slowly fell when Mewtwo was still standing. DJ's glowing fist was still pressing against the legendary's cheek, pushing his head to the side, but other than that, Mewtwo gave no other indication that he had been hit.

The orange energy swirling around DJ's fist faded as the Lucario took an unconscious step back. His eyes were wide with horror as he saw that his attack had hardly done anything to the legendary. Mewtwo slowly allowed his head to return to its original position and grinned at the stunned Lucario.

"I'm sorry, were you trying to attack me?" Mewtwo questioned sweetly. "I promise to give more of a reaction next time you manage that."

All at once, DJ's fear was replaced by anger. With another growl, DJ regained his nerve and attacked, summoning his metal claws.

Unlike before, Mewtwo did dodge these attacks, skimming across the ground, his feet just barely touching the earth. The entire time, the psychic type kept the same smug smirk on his face, further infuriating the Lucario. DJ continued to press his attack, steadily increasing in speed and ferocity, but he still could not hit the elusive Pokémon.

Mewtwo, seemingly having grown tired of DJ's assault, chose that moment to attack. His eyes once more flashed purple and DJ was sent flying back. This time, however, DJ recovered and managed to land on his feet. Just before the Lucario could rush in once more, Mewtwo sent a shadow ball his way.

Momentarily taken aback, DJ was quick to overcome his stupor and summon a bone staff and batted the attack away with it. Mewtwo saw this and grinned. Without a word, he formed another shadow ball and fired it at the Lucario before following that attack up with even more.

With the barrage of attack hurling towards him, DJ was forced on the defensive, deflecting attack after attack, unable to move forward. Slowly the attacks began to increase in speed as well as power. Each time DJ hit one of the shadow balls with his staff, he felt more and more force pushing back, threatening to snap his weapon in half.

Mewtwo started to laugh, amused at seeing DJ struggle against his onslaught. His laugh faltered as a searing pain erupted against his side, causing his attacks to stop. Looking to his side, he saw Katara glaring right back at him, a blade of dark purple energy glowing in her hands. "You're fighting more than just one opponent!" she said.

Mewtwo sneered at the Greninja. He was about to strike her with an attack when pain exploded against the side of his head. DJ twirled his bone around and delivered another another blow to the legendary's rib cage. Mewtwo grunted in mild pain, but remained standing. He then spun around, whipping Katara away with his tail and faced DJ with an annoyed glare. He tried to attack the Lucario with a close ranged shadow ball, but DJ was able to leap away, causing the attack to fly harmlessly underneath him.

DJ landed about a yard away and leveled his staff towards the legendary, preparing to charge once more. However, before DJ could even take a step towards the legendary's direction, Mewtwo exploded forward. Purplish-blue energy coalesced around his form as he sped forward before it burst outwards.

The wave of energy raced towards a surprised DJ, digging a deep trench across the ground as it went. Instinctively, DJ raised his bone in a form of defense, but the attack tore through his staff and slammed into him.

Energy arched through DJ's body like lightning, stabbing at every part of him. The mega evolved Pokémon's mouth was open in a silent scream of pain as the wall of energy continued to bear down upon him. All of that lasted for a second. The energy then contracted before exploding with a large amount of force, sending DJ flying.

Thrown like a rag doll, DJ flew through the air. He slammed into the ground, bouncing once before skidding to a halt. The aura Pokémon groaned in pain, beginning to push himself back to his feet. He raised his head just enough to see Mewtwo's scowl.

The legendary floated slowly towards where DJ lay prone, his arms crossed and his eyes glowing with power. All amusement over the battle was gone from the legendary's visage, replaced by annoyance. He opened his mouth to say something when a water shuriken went whizzing through the air, aimed at the legendary's head.

Mewtwo tilted his head, causing the compressed disk of water to shoot past him and into the open air, dispersing after several feat. The legendary turned his attention to Katara, his annoyed scowl deepening. "It's not polite to interrupt."

Katara did not respond verbally. Instead, she charged forward, a night slash blade in hand. When she reached striking distance, she swung her blade in a deadly arc, aiming for the legendary's neck, but Mewtwo avoided it. Undeterred, Katara attacked again and again, determined to land a hit, but Mewtwo was just too quick.

With a barely repressed growl, Mewtwo floated back several feat and crossed his arms over his chest before swinging them outwards a second later. At the same time, the air in front of him seemed to ripple before a storm of glowing stars shot out from nowhere and raced towards Katara.

Seeing the stars encroaching, the ninja Pokémon jumped into the air with bounce to dodge. When she reached the apex of her jump, she angled her self and shot back down to the ground, aiming for Mewtwo. When she was about to land her attack, Mewtwo floated away again, causing Katara to strike the ground. Katara's knees bent low, almost touching the ground, and the stone cracked underneath her feet.

Still crouched, Katara glared up at Mewtwo, preparing to jump towards him and resume her assault. Just as she was about to move, she saw Mewtwo begin to grin. Confused, Katara turned around and blanched when she saw that swarm of stars heading towards her.

"Shit!" Katara cursed, taking a large leap to the side to put distance between her and the attacks. Unfortunately, the stars were right on her tail.

Cursing under her breath, Katara continued to jump in every direction in hopes to avoid the swift attack. Unfortunately, the attack was persistent. They matched every turn and direction change that Katara made and increased speed. Seeing that she could not avoid the swift attack, Katara instead summoned twin night slashes and began to cut through the stars.

Katara cut through star after star, her arms becoming blurs of blue as she destroyed more of the attack. Unfortunately for her, there were just too many to cut through. While Katara was able to destroy the majority of them, some of the stars got through her guard and exploded against her. Because of this, Katara would flinch and jerk mid-attack, causing her to miss and for more of the stars to make contact. When the attack finally ended, Katara was left panted and covered in bruises. Sighing in relief, she turned to face Mewtwo again only for a shadow ball to explode in her face.

The genetic Pokémon smirked, lowering his hand when he saw Katara fall to the ground. Behind him, DJ had gotten to his feet and summoned another bone staff. Noting that Mewtwo appeared to not be paying attention, DJ lunged forward, his staff aimed for the legendary's head. In a blur of movement, Mewtwo's hand shot up and grabbed DJ's attack before it was able to his his head, the entire time, Mewtwo faced forward.

DJ struggled fervently, trying to pry his weapon out of the legendary's surprisingly strong grip. After several seconds, Mewtwo finally turned his head so he could see DJ. "Attacking from behind? How uncouth."

DJ growled in response, summoned a quick aura sphere in his free paw, and fired it at close range. Mewtwo's eyes widened in surprise, appearing not to have expected such a move, and coughed in pain as the blue sphere exploded against the small of his back. His grip on DJ's weapon slackened, allowing DJ to wrench his weapon free and slam it into Mewtwo's back.

The psychic type stumbled forward and tried to turn all the way around to fully face DJ, only to be punched with a power-up punch. DJ, dismissing his staff, allowed his other paw to become engulfed with fighting type energy and slammed his fist into Mewtwo's stomach, pushing the legendary back even more. However, before DJ could land another blow, a second psystrike sent the former human flying.

DJ landed in a heap several yards away, but was quick to get to his feet. The fighting-steel type was panting lightly, his body aching from the brutal attacks he had suffered. Across the plateau, past Mewtwo, Katara too was getting to her feet. The duo locked eyes, having a silent conversation with one another, before nodding in unison and turning their attention towards Mewtwo who was floating in the air with his arms crossed.

The psychic type glanced at both of his opponents, noting their aggressive stances and frowned. He unfolded his arms, his body tensing in anticipation. Several seconds of tense silence rang out before DJ and Katara exploded forward once more.

DJ and Katara attacked the legendary with renewed vigor. They threw attack after attack at the legendary, pushing themselves to their limits, but it was hopeless. Despite their best efforts, they could hardly even lay a finger on the legendary. The psychic type returned their attacks in kind, tossing both guild members around like it was nothing. Even so, when their bodies were bruised and bloody, the duo kept going until they could hardly stand.

"While tenacity is often a good trait to have in such situations, it is truly getting annoying," Mewtwo grumbled, glaring down at the duo who were both on their hands/paws and knees. Both were panting harshly, wounds covering their forms. Mewtwo himself had a few scratches on him as well, but none as prominent as DJ or Katara's.

Hearing the legendary's voice caused DJ to growl and renew his struggle to get back to his feet. With the Lucario now at his feet, and the Greninja getting up as well, Mewtwo frowned. He looked almost searchingly at the Lucario, trying to find something. Apparently finding what he was looking for, Mewtwo huffed exasperatedly.

"Well, it is clear that you and your little friend will not give up until there is no longer breath in your lungs," Mewtwo said, closing his eyes, his demeanor falsely sympathetic, as if he was truly was sad over the fact that neither of them would give up. This appearance was quickly lost as a sinister smirk came upon his face. "Ah well. I'll be more than happy to oblige, but before I do, allow me to show you just how outclassed you two truly are!"

With these ominous words, a _very_ familiar red glow began to come over the legendary. The legendary's tail seemed to sink back into his body as, at the same time, a protrusion, similar in size and shape to his tail, began to grow from the back of Mewtwo's head. Two small horns formed in place of his ears, a half ring structure connected to both horns. Its fingers and toes became slightly more bulbous, the middle digits on both his hands and feet becoming slightly longer. His 'breastplate' was now gone and a sternum-like protrusion formed along his chest, traveling down his body. Mewtwo also grew a few inches smaller than its original size. He was floating several inches off the ground.

DJ and Katara gaped in silent horror as the legendary mega evolved without the use of a mega stone. When the light finally faded, revealing Mewtwo's new form, his colors being the same as before with his new tail-like protrusion and fingers being the same color as his previous tail, a heavy pressure washed over the plateau, nearly causing the duo to collapse again. Mewtwo opened his eyes, which had closed when his evolution had begun, and took in the fear showing on the duo's faces. He smiled.

"Well, it _has_ been some time sense I've used this form," Mewtwo said, flexing his fingers, his eyes never leaving the duo.

DJ was sweating profusely. The pressure the legendary was exuding was suffocating, like an immense weight was pushing down on his shoulders. Glancing to his side, DJ saw that Katara was not fairing much better, her face pale and fear wafting off of her form.

Mewtwo smiled knowingly at the duo, but made not attempt to attack. After several tense seconds, he moved forward a half of an inch, causing both DJ and Katara to instinctively take a step back. Mewtwo saw this and chuckled. "Why are you scared?" he asked tauntingly, a devilish smirk on his face. "What happened to all of that determination from before?"

DJ growled, though it was much more subdued than before. Fear continued to bubble up within the Lucario as the sheer power behind the psychic type was like nothing he had ever faced before. Even greater than the presence of Giratina.

Mewtwo moved forward another few paces and the duo mirrored him, moving further away. The legendary's blood red eyes glittered with sadistic amusement. "Well, if you won't make the first move..." In a burst of speed, Mewtwo disappeared and reappeared right in front of DJ, "...then I'll have to take the first move."

The Lucario was only able to flinch in surprise before a blast of psychic energy sent him straight into the air. For DJ, one second he was staring into the legendary's red eyes before he was suddenly tens of feat in the air. Then the pain registered.

His entire body felt as if it was being stabbed in every nerve in his body. A pained shout tore through DJ's throats as what could only be psychic energy lanced through his entire body. Not even a second later, as DJ was still screaming, Mewtwo seemingly appeared above the Lucario. With an evil grin, a sphere of blackish energy coalesced in his hands, which were aimed at DJ's chest. Unable to react, DJ's screamed intensified as he was sent hurtling back towards the ground, the attack exploding into his chest the second the fighting-steel type touched the ground.

This all occurred in the span of five seconds.

Katara blinked in horror as her friend was now laying in a small crater right next to her, his body slightly smoking. She took a step forward, intent to help DJ in some way, when Mewtwo appeared before her. With a startled gasp, Katara stepped back, instinctively bringing her arms up over her face. This promptly saved her from being struck in the face as Mewtwo used that moment to spin around and strike her with his tail-like protrusion. The force of the blow, however, was enough to send the Greninja sliding back several feat.

Katara lowered her arms and glared weakly at the mega evolved legendary, who remained smirking. She then summoned her night slash blade in her hands and lowered into a crouch, preparing to spring forward. Mewtwo regarded her with an almost amused expression, making no move to defend or dodge should the need arise. This unconcerned demeanor, caused Katara to hesitate a second longer than she intended, and Mewtwo capitalized on this.

With a grin, the legendary swung his arms and a fresh wave of stars appeared in the air and swarmed towards the Greninja.

Katara cursed and tried to fend off the stars, but there were much more than before and she was quickly overwhelmed. The stars shattered, smoke and debris filling the air, blanketing Katara. When the smoke cleared, she was, once more, lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Mewtwo laughed uproariously. "Well then, it would appear that I've forgotten my strength! That ended much quicker than I anticipated!"

As he did this, a glowing bone staff slammed into his collar with a loud thud. There was enough force behind the swing to stir up a small cloud of dust from the ground. Mewtwo did not even falter in his place in the air. The dark legendary turned his head slightly to the side in which the bone now rested and glanced at the Lucario's stunned expression.

"Attacking me from behind, a clear sign of desperation,"Mewtwo said, his demeanor still rather relaxed. In a blur of movement, DJ's bone staff was spinning through the air before disappearing and DJ himself was flat on his back, his stomach aching. Before he could get back to his feet, Mewtwo placed a foot on his stomach.

"Well then, it appears our little game has come to an end," Mewtwo said, his voice sounding saddened, but his eyes glittered with malice. "Such a shame, really. I was hoping for a more thrilling battle. Then again, no one has ever survived seeing my mega form and I plan to keep that record true."

DJ growled, grabbing the legendary's leg and trying to push it off, but Mewtwo just increased the pressure. Despite being part steel type, DJ hissed in pain. The smaller legendary was a lot stronger than he looked.

"I do hate to get my hands dirty, but in times like these..." Mewtwo continued, looking at his hands in disgust as if he was imagining the blood that would stain his hands. "Oh well. Sometimes we must do that what we don't-"

Mewtwo was cut off as DJ suddenly formed an aura sphere and launched it towards the legendary's face. The orb of energy exploded violently, smoke completely covering Mewtwo's face. Several seconds passed in tense silence as DJ stared up at Mewtwo's still smoking head. When the smoke finally cleared, and DJ could see that, other than another scratch and scuff marks, but he was angry.

With a feral growl, Mewtwo ascended into the air, releasing DJ from his pinned position, but before DJ could get back to his feet, he was gripped by a familiar psychic energy. With a gasp of pain, DJ was once more flung into the air. He was held aloft in the air, at eye level with Mewtwo. The psychic type glared angrily at the Lucario.

"I was going to make your death quick, but now...Well, let's just say I'm going to enjoy this." With a final glare, and a sinister grin, DJ felt the psychic energy around him tighten and he was sent plummeting to the ground.

With a loud crash, DJ slammed into the hard stone, a pained cry escaping him upon contact. Before he had a chance to fully recover, DJ was pulled back into the air. Not a second later, DJ was hurled back to the ground with even more force than before.

DJ was pulled up and dropped again and again by the sadistic legendary. With each impact, spiderweb cracks began to grow and stretch out across the plateau. DJ no longer struggled in Mewtwo's psychic grip. By the sixth or seventh hit, the Lucario appeared limp, his nose slightly bent at an odd angle.

Mewtwo just grinned and continued to slam the Lucario into the plateau, taking sick pleasure in torturing the former human. Just as he was about to pick up the mega evolved Lucario, something blue entered his vision.

Katara, who had witnessed her friend being repeatedly slammed into the earth, had become enraged. Using bounce, she shot into the air, reaching Mewtwo in less than a second. She formed another night slash and scored a critical hit against the Mewtwo's chest, leaving a small gash.

Mewtwo gasped in surprise and pain as dark type energy shot through him, stemming from his wound. His concentration faded, leaving DJ to slump to bonelessly slump to the ground. Getting over his surprise, Mewtwo glared down at the ninja Pokémon who had just landed onto the ground. The legendary pointed at Katara, a small shadow ball forming on the tip of his finger. With a grunt, the legendary sent the attack towards the Greninja.

Katara, seeing the attack, was quick to jump away, causing the attack to burst with a small explosion. Mewtwo growled at this and preceded to unleash a torrent of small shadow balls at the nimble water-dark type. Katara avoided the attack to the best of her ability, but she was already injured and was slower than she normally was. One of the ghost type attacks exploded against Katara's leg, eliciting a cry of pain and collapsed on the ground.

Mewtwo immediately pounced upon the prone Greninja and continued with his attacks, unleashing more and more small shadow balls at her. Katara screamed in pain as the ghost type attacks exploded against her body, hitting various parts of her body. Her joints, limbs, back, and even her tongue were subject to Mewtwo's assault and she was helpless to defend herself against them. The genetic Pokémon lowered himself to the ground, still keeping up his attack, but getting close enough to get a better view of Katara's pained face.

Katara screamed in agony as the attacks continued to buffet her. Her body contorted in pain, instinctually moving away from where the attack hit only to be hit from another angle. Tears began to bite at the sides of her eyes from the constant pain that she was going through. The entire time, Mewtwo was laughing as if Katara's screams of pain were the funniest thing he had ever seen. He was so engrossed in his torture of the Greninja that he did not feel the sudden influx of power coming from behind him until he was punched in the face.

Not expecting the sudden and very powerful hit, Mewtwo was almost sent across the entirety of the plateau before he caught himself. Turning in the air, the beginnings of a bruise forming on his cheek, Mewtwo was greeted with the sight of DJ, but different. The Lucario was still mega evolved, but there was now a bright blue aura surrounding him, flickering in the wind like fire.

"So that's the shining aura," Mewtwo muttered, his posture becoming slightly more tense. "I must say, it is much more imposing than Luke ever described."

DJ did not respond, he merely glared at the mega evolved legendary. The aura around DJ suddenly pulsed, wafting over Katara's prone body. Mewtwo watched in fascination as some of Katara's injuries healed, her cuts closing and bruises fading.

"Healing abilities," Mewtwo mused, also taking note that DJ's nose had fixed itself. "Almost like a passive heal pulse." The legendary shook his head. "It matters not, I will still-"

Mewtwo's words were cut off as air was forcibly ejected from his lungs as DJ was suddenly in front of him, a power-up punch buried in his stomach. Mewtwo stumbled back, the psychic energy that had been allowing him to float, fading. The psychic type coughed roughly, clutching his stomach in pain. He looked up at the Lucario's glare and matched it with one of his own.

"You'll pay for that," Mewtwo growled before eyes flashed and a wave of psychic energy smashed into the mega evolved Lucario.

The aura Pokémon was blasted back, but was quick to flip and land lightly on his feet. The Lucario narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Mewtwo, absentmindedly rubbing his bruised stomach, regarded the glowing Lucario appraisingly. If that punch was anything to go by, then the legendary knew that he would have to be wary as the Lucario had gained a substantial boost in power.

Mewtwo's was pulled out of his thoughts as the Lucario had suddenly fired an aura sphere. The legendary frowned, noting that the attack seemed as strong, if not a bit weaker, than the attacks he had been using before he had taken on the glow of his 'shining aura'. Without a second thought, Mewtwo smacked the sphere away with his arm, sending it shooting off to the side. He turned back around to say something scathing towards the Lucario, but the words died in his throat when he was inches away from blue eyes. Red eyes wide in shock, Mewtwo immediately began to float back to put some distance between him and the Lucario at the same time the glowing Pokémon through a power-up punch towards him.

 _Fast!_ Mewtwo thought brought his arm up to attempt to block the blow. While he was able to displace some of the force of the Lucario's attack, the punch broke through his block and dug into his cheek.

 _That aura sphere was a distraction!_ Mewtwo internally cursed as he was sent flying. Righting himself, Mewtwo wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. _That was a very calculated and cunning move. He has not shown any such inclination that he is capable of such trickery in the midst of battle. Is that aura of his increasing his thought processes as well?_

"That was a rather sneaky move," Mewtwo commented aloud, watching the Lucario sharply. "I took you for a straight forward fighter."

The mega evolved Lucario still remained silent. His steely blue eyes frigid and hard, his paws curled into tight fists, just begging to hit his opponent. Mewtwo frowned at the Lucario's uncharacteristic silence. From his reports, the human was prone bursts of anger, but now, he seemed eerily calm. Mewtwo frowned, but pressed on, hoping to gain some insight on the Lucario.

"This seems almost out of character. After all, you're always the one that barks fir-"

"Shut up." Mewtwo was taken aback by the Lucario's cold voice. Glowing blue eyes shone coldly before he continued. "Enough talk. You've hurt far too many Pokémon for me to have a _pleasant_ conversation. I will beat you here and now without any distractions, so shut up and fight!" DJ shouted his last words, his aura flaring in response to his intensity.

Mewtwo instinctively moved back, shocked by the Lucario's intensity. The physical pressure behind the Lucario's shouts sent chills down his spine as, if only for a second, Mewtwo felt afraid. However, Mewtwo was quick to push down these thoughts and regain his composure. Complying to the former human's demands, he kept his mouth closed and raised his arms, preparing to fight.

DJ saw this, and summoned twin short bone staffs in his paws. He twirled them once before sinking into a crouch, the staff in his right paw resting on his shoulder, the other held forward, perpendicular to his body. The two stared at one another, the silvery glow of the moon and the flare of DJ's shining aura lit up the plateau and caused their shadows to stretch across the stone. Not a sound broke the silence as the duo stared down the other.

As if an unspoken signal had been given, the two shot towards each other, moving so fast that they seemingly disappeared and reappeared in the center, clouds of dust being kicked up from their original places.

DJ's attacks had become even more ruthless and powerful than ever before, both from the shining aura and his constant use of power-up punch and metal claw. Because of this, Mewtwo did his best to keep the fight at long range, not wanting to sustain any unnecessary damage. Unfortunately, this proved to be much harder than Mewtwo first thought.

Despite the legendary's superior speed, the Lucario seemed to be able to anticipate Mewtwo's moves. Almost every time that the psychic type would back away, DJ would lash out with a bone staff and force Mewtwo to change directions, putting him back in the line of fire. Other times, DJ would fire an aura sphere behind him, causing Mewtwo to stop cold and be momentarily vulnerable to attacks.

Mewtwo was growing increasingly frustrated as the fight continued. The Lucario seemed to be anticipating his every move and countering before Mewtwo could react. Not only that, but the Lucario would also set up traps, whether lowering his guard or make it appear that he was leaving a part of himself unprotected, and lure Mewtwo into attacking only to be rebuffed by an attack. That way of fighting, that level of in the moment thinking, suggested a level of thought that had been beyond the Lucario at the start of the fight. It was almost like something Mewtwo himself would do if facing an enemy that was stronger than him.

That is not to say that Mewtwo was not able to land any hits, but he was receiving just as many in return. It also appeared that the Lucario's cap on how strong he could become due to power-up punch and metal claw seemed to be non-existent. Each strike, each claw, just served to make the already powerful Lucario even more so.

Reeling from a particularly hard punch to his face, Mewtwo was quick to summon a medium sized shadow ball and throw it at the Lucario. He was surprised when, even at such a close range, the Lucario was able to bend back at an impossible degree and have the psychic type's attack to fly harmlessly over head. Such movement Mewtwo expected from the Greninja, not a part steel type.

Too caught up in his surprise, he did not see the foot heading towards him before it hit him right in the chin as DJ turned his dodge into a back flip. Landing back on his feet, DJ then kicked forward towards the momentarily stunned Mewtwo, both his fists coated with bright orange energy. With a shout, DJ extended both his arms and delivered twin power-up punches to the legendary's sternum and stomach.

A harsh wheeze retched its way out of Mewtwo's mouth as the air was literally knocked out of him. Mewtwo flew back, landing harshly on his back, sliding several feat. Despite the impact of the hit, Mewtwo was quick to get back into the air, though he was coughing harshly.

Mewtwo lifted his head, his eyes burning with intense hatred. Never in all his life had he sustained such damage. Never had anyone pushed him this far, not even the other legendaries. Not even Mew! Yet, it was a Lucario, a mortal, that had pushed him to his very limits.

"What are you?" Mewtwo demanded. "No mortal can be this strong! You were weak just moments ago. You stood no chance! So how? How are you so powerful?! How have you broken your limits?!"

DJ regarded the legendary with an unreadable expression. After a second of silence, he spoke. "When the situation is hopeless, when my strength is not enough, I will always surpass my limits. When everything is on the line, and I can't fail, I won't."

Mewtwo's eye began to twitch. "That doesn't make any sense!" he screeched, all decorum and calm gone from his expression. "You can't be strong just because you want to be! You can't surpass your limits with just will alone! YOU NEED POWER!"

"Yet here we are," DJ said coolly, causing veins to bulge at his temple.

"RAAH!" Mewtwo roared incomprehensibly. DJ only had seconds to react before he was suddenly thrown backwards. Pure psychic energy swarmed around the legendary, coalescing around him, forming a large midnight blue sphere that shone brighter than even DJ's shining aura. With another scream of pure anger and rage, Mewtwo blurred forward, aiming for DJ.

DJ had just gotten to his feet when Mewtwo was upon him. The fighting-steel type was just able to dodge by jumping straight up, causing Mewtwo to carve a trench into the plateau. However, DJ did not anticipate how mobile Mewtwo was in this state.

The former human's eyes widened as Mewtwo suddenly shot off the ground, heading straight for DJ, giving him only enough time to cross his arms across his chest and brace himself for the attack. The second the sphere of energy touched DJ's body, the Lucario screamed. Pain stabbed through him, much like a psychic attack, but this was much more intense as the attack was pure psychic energy. A shrill scream from an unknown source reverberated through DJ's skull, adding to the pain. This lasted a second as Mewtwo pushed past DJ, sending him spinning. Mewtwo then turned sharply and headed right back towards the airborne Lucario.

Mewtwo slammed into DJ again and again, not giving the Lucario any time to make any sort of defense against him. Completely helpless, DJ could only hold his arms up and attempt to alleviate some of the damage. After several seconds of this assault, Mewtwo arched downwards and slammed into DJ's unprotected back and catching the aura Pokémon in the center of the sphere, pinning him with the force. Mewtwo then headed straight to the ground with DJ along for the ride and crashed into the plateau, crushing DJ into the hard stone, which gave way under the force of Mewtwo's attack.

The genetic Pokémon flew back into the air, leaving the Lucario partially embedded in the ground. Much to the legendary's ire, the Lucario stirred, pulling himself out of the ground and into a kneeling position. Gritting his teeth, the psychic energy around Mewtwo sparked wildly as his anger towards the stubborn Lucario increased. He was about to shoot down again and pummel the Lucario into the dirt until he did not get up, when a stabbing pain lanced through his back.

Turning his head slightly, Mewtwo saw Katara falling back towards the ground, in her hands was a significantly longer night slash blade. The dark type attack, being immune to psychic energy by nature, had cleanly cut through Mewtwo's shield and land a critical hit.

Rage increasing to exponential heights, Mewtwo raised his arm, forming a shadow ball on the outside of his sphere. Black lightening arced around the attack as it swelled in size and power. With a vindictive smirk, Mewtwo fired the attack at the ninja Pokémon, who had dismissed her blade and was now reaching the ground as if it were her salvation.

Or, that is what Mewtwo thought she was doing.

A second later, DJ was there, his paw reaching for the Greninja's hand. Katara managed to grab the Lucario's paw and, with more strength than one would anticipate the thin and lanky Pokémon having, _threw_ the mega Lucario at Mewtwo, allowing herself to take the full brunt of the shadow ball.

Mewtwo could only gape as the blue missal raced towards him. The Lucario brought his fist back in preparation for a punch, but instead of the bright orange glow of power-up punch, DJ's fist took on an intense bluish-white glow.

Recognizing the attack as the powerful fighting type move focus punch, Mewtwo pushed more psychic energy in front of him, thickening the area directly in front of him, hoping to weaken if not completely block the powerful attack. DJ continued on, unable to stop his momentum, not that he had any plan to stop, and punched forward, his fist making contact with Mewtwo's sphere of energy.

Bright bursts of what appeared to be multicolored electricity arched out as the two energies met. Mewtwo grit his teeth as he felt himself being pushed back, his shield actually beginning to dip inwards. He forced more and more psychic energy into his shield, attempting to push the Lucario back.

DJ, somehow being kept in the air through the force of his punch, felt Mewtwo begin to push back on his arm. Growling, DJ pushed what remained of his strength and power into his attack. The glowing aura around him crept off of him and entered his fist. The white light turned a bright blue and the energy erupted in size, matching DJ's own size. With a final shout, DJ pushed his arm forward again.

Mewtwo cursed loudly as his shield dipped again, he tried to add more energy to it, but DJ's power was to overwhelming. Cracks began to stretch out over Mewtwo's energy as if it were made of glass before the shield shattered, leaving Mewtwo helpless. With nothing to impede him, DJ gave a final roar and punched Mewtwo.

For a second, nothing happened. Everything was silent, seemingly frozen in time. Not a second later, the energy in DJ's punch expanded, encompassing the entire plateau in a blinding blue light. Katara, who was barely conscious, was forced to cover her eyes and brace herself as a powerful shockwave threatened to send her flying off the plateau.

The light only lasted several seconds before it finally ended, allowing Katara to reopen her eyes. When she did so, she saw that Mewtwo and DJ were once more on the ground, the psychic type laying face first on the ground and DJ propped up on one knee in front of him. Mewtwo's still form flashed red, returning to his original state, and the iconic shadowing smoke curled off of his body, indicating the legendary's defeat.

"You did it!" Katara cried weakly, getting to her feat and hobbling over to DJ's side.

The former human glanced at her and smiled. "No, we did it," he said. "I couldn't have done it without you, Katara."

The Greninja flushed brightly at the the aura Pokémon's praise. She opened her mouth to say something when a distant, but very loud, explosion cut her off. Both Pokémon jumped in shock, their heads whipping around towards the source.

In the distance, the duo could see several pillars of a familiar dark energy shooting into the air. Even in the pitch black darkness, the could see the darkness swirling in the sky, covering the stars from view and spreading across the sky.

"The dark wells," Katara whispered in fear. "Their activating!"

"But how?" DJ questioned. "We beat Mewtwo, the one causing all this. Shouldn't that have turned everything back to normal."

"You've been watching too much TV if you think that would happen," a familiar voice spoke from behind the duo.

Turning around, DJ and Katara were greeted with the sight of Mewtwo, who was now a very light purple with a dark purple tail, getting back to his feet, albeit rather shakily. "I must say, that was an impressive display," Mewtwo continued. "Beating me is no easy feat. I commend you for that."

"Never mind that!" DJ snapped impatiently. "What did you mean before?"

Mewtwo cracked his neck and groaned, taking his time with his response. "What I mean is that, even if I was the cause of all this, beating me wouldn't have stopped the dark wells. They were already in the process of activating."

DJ growled angrily, both at Mewtwo and by the fact that their fight meant nothing. He opened his mouth to demand what they could do when what Mewtwo said fully registered. "Wait, what do you mean 'if you had been the cause of all this'?"

"Just what I said," Mewtwo responded. "I was never the cause, but, like the others, a victim of the true mastermind behind this darkness. I was the first to be infected with the negative energy of the dark wells by the one who sought to plunge this world into darkness."

"Wh-Who?" Katara asked fearfully.

Mewtwo regarded the Greninja. "It was Arceus."

Both guild members blanched. "A-Arceus?" Katara stuttered. "As in the _god_ of all Pokémon? That Arceus?!"

"That's right," Mewtwo responded solemnly. "It was Arceus himself that corrupted me all those years ago."

"Arceus..." Katara repeated disbelievingly. "There's just no way we can fight a Pokémon like that."

"We don't need to worry about Arceus now," DJ interrupted Katara's rant. "Like Mewtwo said, the dark wells are already activated, meaning we need to stop them before anything else."

"On the contrary, defeating Arceus and stopping the wells are one in the same," Mewtwo said, earning both DJ and Katara's attention. "You see, Arceus set up his base of operations near the central well. As the name implies, the well resides in the center of all the wells and acts almost as a main body, if you will, while the other wells are separate heads. By taking out the body, the heads too will fall."

"I guess that makes sense," DJ reasoned, "but how are we supposed to deal with the 'body'?"

"There is not enough time to discuss that," Mewtwo said. "As we speak, the darkness is flooding the sky and will soon descend upon the land and corrupt everything and everyone it touches. We need to get to Arceus now or all is lost!"

"You want us to fight Arceus now?!" Katara asked incredulously. "We're still injured!"

Mewtwo huffed before his eyes flashed. A ripple of pink and yellow energy burst out from the legendary and washed over DJ and Katara before they could respond. All at once, their injuries began to fade and heal, leaving them almost at full health.

"Heal pulse?" Katara asked in surprise. "But you already know four moves!"

Mewtwo scoffed, as if the mere implications of Katara's words were insulting. "I'm a legendary, no such limitations apply to me! Now, let us go. We must make haste."

"But what about everyone at Miracle Town?" DJ argued. "Even with your help, we're going up against the literal god of this world. We'll need all the help we can get."

"I hate to burst your bubble, but even if I would teleport us there, it would take far to long to gather others and get to Arceus before the darkness spreads," Mewtwo said rather crassly. His expression then softened by a fraction of a degree, an almost apologetic look cross his features. "Not to mention, after the destruction I caused, there will be panic, adding to the time we don't have."

Katara glanced at DJ, silently asking what they should do. DJ thought hard about their situation and could see no way around just going. Time was of the essence and they had none to spare. While he would have liked some more back-up, like with Mewtwo, DJ needed to act fast.

"Fine," DJ said after several seconds of internal deliberation. "Let's go."

Mewtwo nodded and the trio were engulfed in blue light before disappearing from the plateau.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

The End Part 1

DJ and Katara collapsed in a heap the second they met solid ground, their stomach churning. "A little warning would have been appreciated," DJ groaned.

"As I said, time is of the essence," Mewtwo responded coolly. "Do get up. We must hurry if we are to stop Arceus."

With another set of groans, DJ and Katara shakily made their way to their feet. Allowing a second for their world to stop spinning, the duo opened their eyes and surveyed their surroundings. Twin gasps escaped them as the colossal structure before them.

Mewtwo had apparently teleported them to a pristine path, made of what appeared to be white marble with gold inlays, leading up to a large rounded building. It too was made of a white marble and had a similar shape to the coliseum, but more than twice its size with several pointed pillars around the rim. Said pillars were gold and were pointed towards the other, making them look like a single spire. There appeared to be a single entrance in the form of a large, gilded arch about half the size of the building.

The bright building seemed to glow with its own life, making it stand out even against the night sky. It would have been a beautiful sight had it not been for the large pillar of dark energy shooting out of the structure, forming a swirling dark cloud filled with crackling purple energy above it.

"What is this place?" Katara asked in awe.

"The very top of Mount Marvel, more specifically, the Hall of Origins," Mewtwo answered. "Arceus' domain.

"Incredible," Katara gaped.

"You can admire the structure all you want when all this is said and done," Mewtwo clipped, an annoyed look in his eye.

Katara looked slightly affronted and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when DJ put a reassuring paw on her arm. "He's right Katara," DJ soothed. "We need to get this done."

Katara glanced at her friend before sighing and nodding her head. "Right," she grumbled begrudgingly.

"Also," Mewtwo added, looking at DJ, "I would recommend staying in your mega evolution state. We'll be going up against the god of our world, we cannot afford to pull any punches."

DJ nodded in assent before his expression became thoughtful. "What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"You're more damaged than us," DJ pointed out. "How are you supposed to achieve mega evolution again in your state?"

Mewtwo just lifted a brow. With a flick of his hand several sitrus berries appeared out of thin air. Still keeping eye contact, the psychic type devoured one of the berries with in two swift and elegant bites. Not a second later, his injuries began to heal at a fast pace.

"Okay, I get it. No need to be smug," DJ huffed, rolling his eyes.

A ghost of a smile flickered across Mewtwo's face before he became serious once more. "Your shining aura. Can you activate it at will?" he asked.

DJ frowned, glancing down at his paws. "Before, I had to be in dire straits for it to activate. But since I fought my darkness..." DJ frowned in concentration. A second later, a familiar burst of shimmering blue aura flickered around his paw before extinguishing, "it feels like I can control it."

"Hmm," Mewtwo hummed. "It might be do to your darkness no longer trying to take over you soul. From what I understand, it was your shining aura that protected you from the darkness' influence."

"I guess that makes sense," DJ muttered.

"Quite. Now if there are no more questions..." Mewtwo trailed off, his eyes becoming unfocused. An Awkward silence ensued, prompting Katara to step up and poke Mewtwo.

"Uh, Mewtwo?"

This seemed to jolt the psychic type back into reality as he snapped his head towards the Greninja. "Hmm?"

"Are you okay?" Katara asked warily.

"...yes. I'm fine," Mewtwo said after a second of silence. "I'm merely...psyching myself up, or whatever the saying is, for this fight."

"Okay, if you're sure," Katara said, still looking unsure. Seemingly shrugging her thoughts aside, she turned towards the structure. "Then let's go."

Mind made up, Katara walked determinedly towards the Hall of Origins. DJ made to follow when a voice rang out in his head. " _DJ._ "

The Lucario jumped in surprise, looking around wildly. "Huh?"

" _Don't speak aloud. Simply speak through your thoughts,_ " the voice chided. " _It is I, Mewtwo._ "

" _Mewtwo?_ " DJ mentally asked, looking at the psychic type. " _What is it?_ "

" _There is something that I wanted to address to you without your friend knowing,_ " Mewtwo responded. " _It's about the solution to stopping the dark wells._ "

" _What about it?_ " DJ asked curiously. DJ was confused as to why the legendary was bringing this up now after he had clearly expressed the need to make haste.

" _As I previously stated, the central dark well that resides within the Hall of Origins is the connecting joint to the rest of the wells. This means that if the central well were to be cut off, it would be like cutting off the water to a hose. The other wells will deactivate,_ " Mewtwo explained.

" _Okay, following you so far,_ " DJ responded.

A somber expression crossed the legendary's face. " _The only way to stop the dark wells...is to seal them. The same goes for the central well._ "

" _Seal them?_ " DJ questioned, not understanding what Mewtwo was saying. A sudden image of another former human flashed in DJ's mind and his eyes widened. " _You mean...?_ "

" _Yes,_ " Mewtwo answered, even his mental voice sounding grim. " _In order to stop the dark wells and stop our world from being consumed by darkness, you must give up your life and seal the dark well._ "

DJ's eyes widened in horrified realization. Was what Mewtwo was saying true? Was the only way to save the world was to give up his life? All these thoughts stampeded through the former human's mind as he tried to grasp and come to terms with what the legendary had just told him.

Mewtwo regarded the Lucario with an almost pitying look. " _I don't tell you this to guilt you into doing this, after all, it is your life at stake, the final decision is yours,_ " he said, turning towards the hall. " _I simply thought that you should know the solution to our problem. I also believed that you would prefer for your friend to not know of this. Do with this information what you will._ "

With his piece said, Mewtwo floated along the path after Katara, leaving DJ to stew in his thoughts.

DJ stood stock still, his gaze still where Mewtwo had been standing. His mind was a mess. He had been in life or death situations before, but he had never been in a situation where his life was guaranteed to be forfeit. Was he ready to put himself in such a situation? Could he really willingly give up his life?

"DJ!" The Lucario's less than happy thoughts were broken by the sound of his friend calling him. He turned and saw Katara standing a few yards away, a reassuring and determined smile gleaming in the night. "Come on. Let's do this. Let's save the world!"

DJ looked at his friend, feeling her determination through their bond. They had been through so much, so many hardships and challenges, and they had always come out on top, but not this time. Regardless of the outcome of the battle, there would be loss, but as DJ looked into Katara's eyes, he felt something lighten in him. If he was to die, then he would want it to be defending something he loved, the people he loved.

With his mind made up and a determined fire burning in his belly, DJ nodded. "Right. Let's do this!"

DJ marched resolutely towards the hall, Katara falling in step beside him. Katara shot him a small reassuring smile which DJ quickly returned. Regardless of what happened, this would be the last adventure DJ would have with his friend.

-Legend-

The moment the trio stepped past the large archway, an almost physical weight pressed down upon them. Danger seemed to waft over them, carried along by the cold wind that blew past them from some unknown force. DJ, being the most sensitive to such things, stumbled slightly, his breathing becoming shallow and harsh. From the corner of his eye, DJ noticed Katara's look of worry and was quick to bury his discomfort and push forward. Mewtwo too noticed DJ's discomfort, but chose not to mention it. He instead gave a short nod to the Lucario and continued down the short, yet incredibly tall, hallway.

At the other end of the hallway, DJ could see the beginning of a large and what appeared to be a spacious room. The walls were white marble with various colored tiles arranged into various images, several of which the two guild members recognized.

"That's Mew!" Katara exclaimed, pointing at a series of pink titles.

"Cobalion, Keldeo, and the others," DJ muttered looking at another section of the wall that depicted all the Swords of Justice. "These are all legendaries."

"Correct," Mewtwo said. "The Hall of Origins, along with being Arceus' domain, is sacred place for all legendaries as it is where we all originated."

"Really?" Katara asked in amazement, her gaze still traveling along the wall. "Hey, who are these two?"

DJ followed his friend's gaze and took note of two images that he could not identify. One appeared to be a white lion plastered against a yellow sun and the other a dark blue bat, similarly stationed against a moon.

Mewtwo glanced at the tile pictures with an unreadable expression before saying. "There are still many secrets in this world that have yet to be discovered. Now hurry up! There is no time to waste!"

With one last look at the strange tiles, DJ and Katara followed Mewtwo into the large room.

Like the rest of the building, the room was made up of white tile. As DJ first guessed, the room was incredibly spacious with more than an acre of free space within. Up and down the rounded walls were large stain glass windows, each depicting the legendaries, or group of legendaries, stationed above or around other Pokémon, seemingly serving as protectors to them. On the floor was a large engraved cross-like wheel, made up of a small circle with four spikes jutting out diagonally from the circle with large half-circles bracketing the center. Each segment where the spikes met the half-circles were large emeralds.

Much like when they saw the structure from the outside, the beautiful sigh was ruined by a single item that was out of place. In the center of the room, situated directly in the smaller circle of the cross wheel, was a dark well, or rather, what looked like a dark well. Unlike the others that the two guild members had encountered, this one was almost double their size. All along the stonework of the massive well were a series of strange symbols that glowed with the same dark purple light as the energy that the well was releasing.

"Is that...?" Katara asked, her voice trailing off.

"Yes," Mewtwo answered. "This is the central well."

"It's huge!" Katara exclaimed, walking towards the well, getting to the outer rim of the cross wheel's inner circle.

Before DJ could call out to his friend, the space in front of her flashed purple. Katara let out a sharp cry of pain as she was forcibly thrown backwards. The water-dark type was flung several feat backwards, landing in a crumpled heap, groaning in pain.

"Katara!" DJ shouted, rushing to her side.

"Ugh. What happened?" Katara groaned, slightly dazed. DJ helped her sit up, giving her full view of the well which now had an opaque purple shield that surrounded the well before disappearing. "What the hell is that."

"Fool," Mewtwo hissed. "All of the dark wells are protected by a field of negative energy that protect the well from harm. When the well is activated, that field becomes a physical shield. Only one that possesses the same or opposite power, like DJ, can even get close!"

"Sorry," Katara apologized bashfully. A look of confusion then crossed her features. "Wait, if only someone consumed by the darkness or someone with shining aura can get near the well, how do you plan to stop the well?" she asked Mewtwo.

Mewtwo was saved from answering when a deep voice rang out. " **HE WON'T.** "

There was a bright flash of light before a large Pokémon appeared in front of the trio. The Pokémon appeared equine and was primarily black with a dark gray, vertically-striated underside. The underside of its relatively short tail, mane-like crest on its head, and his face had the same pattern. It had four-pointed feet that looked to have been dipped in silver, forming hooves. A cross wheel, the same pattern as the one on the floor, except silver in color with rubies in the segments, rested around his abdomen. He had a streak of silver was on its head and his ears pointed upwards. The Pokémon's neck was long with two pairs of extrusions on either side. Its eyes were a bright ruby red with pin point black pupils.

The Pokémon stared down at the trio with a lofty air surrounding him. " **NONE SHALL STOP THE WELL'S PROGRESS.** " The same voice as before rang out once more, this time almost as if directly projected into their minds. Even so, it was clear who was talking.

"Arceus," Mewtwo muttered, glaring up at the large Pokémon, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face.

"This...This is Arceus?" DJ asked, fear creeping into his voice. "The power coming off of him...it's like nothing I've ever felt before! It's suffocating!"

"I guess it comes as no surprise," Katara said, a nervous grin on her face. "He is supposed to be the god of our world."

" **YOU KNOW WHO I AM, YET YOU STILL COME IN HOPES TO DEFEAT ME? HOW FOOLISH,** " Arceus stated coldly. Arceus gaze then turned to his fellow legendary. " **I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU, MEWTWO. DO YOU NOT SEE THAT THIS IS THE ONLY WAY?** "

"All I know is that what your doing will cause life as we know it to end!" Mewtwo shouted back, his glare intensifying. "What purpose could you hope to achieve by destroying what you yourself have created?!"

" **IT IS BECAUSE I CREATED THIS WORLD THAT I MUST END IT,** " Arceus said.

"What do you mean by that?" Katara asked, surprised over Arceus' words. The alpha Pokémon turned towards Katara, his gaze reminiscent of how one would look at a speck of dirt.

" **FOR CENTURIES, I HAVE WATCHED MY CREATIONS GROW INTO DISGUSTINGLY TWISTED IMITATIONS OF WHAT I HAD FIRST CREATED,** " Arceus explained as if he did not just insult every Pokémon. " **I HATED IT. EVERYTHING THAT I HAD CREATED HAD BECOME EVERYTHING THAT I HATED. I COULD NO LONGER GO ON SEEING THIS WORLD, THIS MONSTROSITY THAT I HAD CREATED. IT WAS ONLY RECENTLY THAT I REALIZED HOW I COULD FIX MY MISTAKE.** "

"The dark wells," DJ exclaimed in realization.

" **EXACTLY.** " Arceus regarded the Lucario with strange look. " **YOU ARE NOT ONE OF MY CREATIONS, BUT YOU STINK OF MY MISTAKES. DO NOT WORRY, SOON YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE WILL BE PURE ONCE MORE.** "

"Pure?" DJ questioned.

" **THE DARK WELLS, WHEN ACTIVATED, WILL RELEASE THE DARKNESS THAT HAS BUILT UP OVER THE YEARS AND COVER THE WORLD, TURNING MAKING EVERY LIVING THING CHANGE LIKE ME,** " the legendary explained. " **ALL WILL ONCE MORE BE LIKE ME IN IMAGE. ALL WILL BE PERFECT.** "

"That's crazy!" Katara exclaimed. "You want to infect everyone with _negative_ energy! How can that be a good thing?!"

The Pokémon god sneered at the Greninja. " **WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION YOUR GOD?** "

Katara instinctively gulped at the cold tone, but refused to back down. "I'm someone who refuses to let their world be swallowed up by darkness!" she shouted, glaring up at the legendary.

Arceus silently gazed at the ninja Pokémon, an unreadable expression on his face. After a couple minutes of tense silence, the alpha Pokémon spoke. " **THEN, IF YOU INSIST ON STOPPING ME, YOU SHALL BE DESTROYED.** "

The trio immediately tensed at those words. The air seemed to become electrified as the power that was emanating from the Arceus suddenly turned deadly.

"He's far more gone than I first anticipated," Mewtwo said as he mega evolved. "The constant exposure to the central well must have twisted his mind."

"What does that mean for us?" Katara asked, forming a night slash blade.

"It means that we'll need to beat him like all the other legendaries," DJ grunted, summoning a bone staff.

"Not as eloquently as I would have said it, but yes, that's the gist of it," Mewtwo said. "Prepare yourselves. This will be the hardest battle you two have ever took part in."

The duo nodded in confirmation and turned back to the legendary, preparing themselves for the battle of their lives. Arceus, seeing the trio's readiness to face him, stomped on the ground and let loose a loud cry that physically shook the room. This served as the unspoken signal as the trio of DJ, Katara, and Mewtwo all leapt at the legendary.

...but it was all for naught.

Mewtwo struck first, flying up right towards Arceus' face. His eyes flashed blue and he sent out a wave of psychic energy at the alpha Pokémon in the form of a powerful psystrike attack. Just as the attack was about to land, Arceus' silver cross wheel shifted to a very dark purple almost black color. Mewtwo's attack then hit but glided harmlessly off of the legendary like water off of oil.

Mewtwo's eyes widened in shock, seeing his attack do nothing against the god Pokémon. Said legendary seemed to smirk at the smaller Pokémon's shocked expression. Before the psychic type could react, a blast of closely condensed dark rings shout out from where Arceus' mouth should have been. Unable to even utter a cry of shock, the dark pulse met its mark and Mewtwo was sent crashing to the ground.

"He's a dark type?!" Katara asked in surprise, seeing Mewtwo's attack do nothing.

"That works out!" DJ shouted, forming an aura sphere and hurling it towards the legendary.

Like with Mewtwo's attack, Arceus' cross wheel changed color, this time becoming a lighter purple with a reddish tint. The aura sphere met its mark and burst upon impact with a small explosion. When the smoke cleared, Arceus was still standing unfazed. DJ's attack had done no damage to the legendary.

"What?!" DJ gawked. "It didn't do anything!"

"But that would make him part ghost type," Katara reasoned.

" **YES. IT WOULD,** " Arceus said, his non-existent grin clear in his voice. Without another word, the legendary swung his head as if he was about to headbutt something. At the same time a violent purple wind kicked up around the legendary and rushed towards the duo.

Unable to react in time, the duo were caught up in the ominous wind attack. They both cried out in pain as they were picked up and flung back like rag dolls in a hurricane. When they were finally thrown out of the range of Arceus' attack, Katara, being the more agile of the two, managed to right herself and land on her feet.

Using her momentum from the fall, Katara launched herself back into the air using bounce. She almost reached the lip of the hall's when she began to fall, aiming both her feet towards the legendary, her decent amplified from the flying type move.

Arceus looked up at Greninja hurtling at him, his expression blank and his demeanor calm. At the last second, his cross wheel flashed once more, this time becoming a dirt brown color. Katara slammed into the legendary's forehead with enough force to cause a visible ripple of air to emanate from the point of impact. Despite the powerful impact, Arceus' head hardly dipped.

Katara's attack _seemed_ to do at least a little bit of damage, but not enough to cause a flinch to cross the god's face. Katara's eyes widened in steadily growing horror as she realized that her attack had done nothing. She tried to kick off the legendary, but Arceus was far faster than she was.

Two glowing rings appeared around Arceus', interlacing with one another. The glow dimmed revealing a series of sharp stones floating around the legendary. Without warning, the stone shot towards the Greninja, smashing into her and exploding into bursts of debris.

Katara screamed in pain as she was helpless to defend against the swarm of stones. When the attack finally let up, she fell towards the ground, her body in too much pain to attempt to land on her feet. Thankfully, however, DJ jumped and caught Katara before she fell. He then quickly jumped back a ways to put some distance between him and the legendary, but Arceus made no move to stop him.

"What the hell is going on?" DJ hissed, stopping next to Mewtwo and setting Katara onto her feet. "He was a dark and ghost type, so why did Katara's attack barely do anything?"

"I don't know," Mewtwo confessed, confusion written all over his face. His eyes narrowed as Arceus' cross wheel returned to its original silver color. Several seconds later, his eyes widened and a gasp tor out of his throat. "He's changing types!"

" **HOW ASTUTE OF YOU,** " Arceus spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm. " **I GAVE RISE TO EVERY POKÉMON IN EXISTENCE. I WAS THE ONE THAT** _ **GAVE**_ **THEM THEIR TYPING. OF COURSE I CAN CHANGE MY OWN TYPING!** "

"That means he can change his type to whatever gives him resistance to any attack against him!" Katara exclaimed in horrified realization.

" **YOU NOW SEE THE FUTILITY OF YOUR EFFORTS,** " Arceus stated. " **SURRENDER NOW AND I WILL ALLOW YOU TO EXPERIENCE THE UTOPIA OF MY DARKENED WORLD!** "

"Not going to happen!" DJ shouted defiantly.

Arceus did not respond at first. He simply regarded the trio with a blank expression. After almost a minute of silence, Arceus seemed to sigh as if he were disappointed by the former human's response. Not a second later, the legendary roared and released a horizontal twister of bluish purple wind at the trio.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the trio could not move in time and the attack exploded right in front of them, sending the trio flying. However, they were quick to recover and reengage in their attack on Arceus, but, like before, it was futile.

Every attack that the threw at the legendary was rendered useless as the alpha Pokémon continued to shift his own typing. He would then attack at his own leisure, sometimes not even retaliating after an attack against him. It all served to tell the trio two things; that they were not a threat to him and that he was simply toying with them.

"Grah!" Mewtwo cried out in pain, crashing to the ground in a heap. With a hiss of pain, he got back up and glared at the alpha Pokémon, who had hardly suffered a scratch. "This isn't working! We can't beat him if we can't damage him!"

"Then we'll try something else," DJ said.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Mewtwo growled.

"This." DJ released a primal roar, a familiar glowing aura encompassing his form.

"Shining aura," Katara whispered, hope sparking in her eyes.

" **WHAT IS THIS?** " Arceus questioned, his eyes regarding the Lucario in a new light. " **THIS POWER IS NOT ONE OF MY OWN DESIGN.** "

"No, it's not," DJ said before jumping at Arceus, his fist coated in white energy.

Arceus scoffed and shifted into a ghost type. " **DO YOU NOT LEARN? I CAN SIMPLY SHIFT ME TYPING TO-** " Whatever Arceus was going to say was cut off when DJ's attack slammed into the side of his face, snapping his head to the side.

Arceus' eyes widened in shock as pain registered across his cheek. DJ's attack had done damage.

" **HOW...?** " Arceus muttered.

"My shining aura adds my own aura to my attacks," DJ stated. "Because of that, my attacks have no typing!"

"I was unaware of that fact," Mewtwo muttered with a frown. "Though, now that I think back to our fight, his attacks, regardless of the type, all seemed to do quite a bit of damage."

"I always suspected, but I wasn't sure until now," Katara muttered, thinking back to DJ's other fights when he was using his shining aura.

Arceus' shocked expression soon bled away to a blank mask. " **IT MATTERS NOT WHAT THIS POWER IS. YOU SHALL FALL ALL THE SAME.** " With that, Arceus unleashed a powerful flamethrower at the glowing Lucario.

DJ was quick to dodge the gout of flame and responded with an aura sphere, which was dodged, marking the first movement the legendary had made aside from attacking. The two Pokémon exchanged attacks at a fervent pace, neither one able to land a solid hit. Both Katara and Mewtwo stood to the side, both in awe at the display.

"He's matching Arceus' attacks," Mewtwo said in amazement. "He wasn't half this strong when he fought me!"

"That's just how DJ is," Katara stated, smiling lightly. "After every fight, he's constantly evolving and becoming stronger."

"Even so, to evolve to such a level..." Mewtwo muttered. "It's almost as if he's an entirely different Pokémon..."

Mewtwo's thoughts were stopped when Arceus suddenly roared in anger. " **ENOUGH!** "

Arceus' eyes flashed bright red as his cross wheel mirrored the same color. With another roar, a large ball of fire formed before him and shot out towards DJ. DJ was about to move out of the way before the ball of flames expanded into a large symbol, widening its area of effect. DJ could only gasp in surprise before the fire blast hit and exploded and fire swept across the floor.

DJ was sent flying out of the flames, his body scorched and his expression twisted in pain, and crashed to the ground, groaning in pain. Arceus stepped out of the flames, their light creating ominous shadows across the legendary's form. His cross wheel a sandy brown.

" **THAT POWER OF YOURS MAY MAKE YOUR ATTACKS THEIR OWN TYPE, BUT IT OFFERS NO DEFENSE!** " Arceus shouted before slamming his foot into the marble floor. The stone crack violently and a shock wave tore through the ground, sending slabs of marble flying into the air. DJ looked up just as the wave was upon him.

DJ screamed in pain as yet another super effective attack hit him. The former human was one more sent airborne before crashing into the ground. A second later, his glowing aura faded away.

"DJ!" Katara shouted, rushing to her friend's side.

"In just two hits," Mewtwo muttered in shock, awe, and fear. "Even with his shining aura, the power that was able to defeat me..." Mewtwo looked up at Arceus who still stood tall. "We can't win."

" **SO YOU FINALLY REALIZE THE TRUTH,** " Arceus said. " **REGARDLESS, IT DOES NOT MATTER. YOU STOOD AGAINST ME AND FOR THAT...YOU WILL ALL FACE JUDGEMENT!** "

With his final shout, a golden orb of energy formed in front of his face. The sphere then shot into the air, stopping just at the tip of the spires. The sphere swelled in size before bursting, sending a shower of pink meteors down upon the ground and, more specifically, DJ, Katara, and Mewtwo.

The meteor smashed to the ground, each impact shaking the entire structure. Large chunks of marble and other stone were flung into the air. Dust and smoke filled the entire building, so thick that it even covered the dark energy that was being released from the central well.

Arceus stared at the billowing smoke cloud impassively, waiting for it to clear so that he could survey the damage he had caused. For several minutes Arceus waited until finally the smoke lifted enough for him to see the landscape. Almost all of the white marble was ripped from the ground and scattered into pieces and the cross wheel symbol was destroyed beyond recognition. The only thing that was not damaged was the central well, however, none of this mattered to Arceus.

The alpha Pokémon's eyes narrowed as he looked to where the trio had been before his attack had hit. When the smoke had completely cleared, the legendary was gleeful to see all three of them strewn across the ruined ground, both DJ and Mewtwo having lost their mega forms. Just as the alpha Pokémon stepped forward, all three began to feebly stir.

" **STILL ALIVE,** " Arceus stated, his tone disinterested. " **I SHOULD NOT HAVE HELD BACK MY LAST ATTACK.** "

DJ feebly tried to push himself to his feet, but all he was able to do was lift his head and even then he could barely do that. Mewtwo and Katara were not much better.

"What do we do now?" Katara asked weakly.

"There's nothing we can do," Mewtwo said.

"So you just want to give up?" DJ asked incredulously, wincing slightly.

"We _can't_ win," Mewtwo gritted out. "Our ace in the hole was _your_ shining aura and even that could do little more than scratch him. It's over."

"No, I refuse to accept that!" DJ snapped, managing to lift his torso. He immediately attempted to get up again. "I haven't come this far, fought so many battles, gone through so much pain, just to give up here! I won't give up here!"

" **IT MATTERS NOT IF YOU GIVE UP OR NOT,** " Arceus stated blandly as he began to charge a hyper beam. " **YOU ALL WILL DIE REGARDLESS.** "

"Then I will die on my feet!" DJ shouted, finally standing, albeit shakily. "Even when the odds are against me, I'll never stop fighting!"

Arceus said nothing, simply continuing to stare impassively at the aura Pokémon. Without so much as blinking, Arceus fired his attack.

The purple beam of energy screamed through the air, heading straight for DJ who stared at it defiantly. In the background, DJ could here Katara shouting his name, but it did not matter to DJ. He refused to back down or show fear. He would face the attack head on!"

As the attack grew closer and closer, and DJ closed his eyes in acceptance, a bright green shield erupted in front of him. The attack smashed into the shield, the hyper beam warping around the shield, carving into the ground around the trio.

" **WHAT?** " Arceus growled, shocked and annoyed that his attack had been blocked.

When he did not feel the attack hit him, DJ's eyes snapped open just in time to see the green shield disappear from in front of him. "What the...?"

"Don't you dare even _think_ about giving up!" a voice shouted, causing the trio to jump and whip around. Standing at the entrance to the center hall stood nine very familiar Pokémon.

"No way," Katara whispered, hardly able to talk through her own shock.

"They're...here?" DJ asked aloud, just as shocked as Katara.

" _They_ came here?" Mewtwo asked.

" **WHO ARE YOU?** " Arceus demanded, glaring at the new arrivals.

"Team Stardust," Katara muttered.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

The End Part 2

Team Stardust stood proudly in the midst of the ruined hall. Each one of them, even Blitz, held a determined light in their eyes. None of them, not even Blitz, appeared fearful or even hesitant as they stared up at the alpha Pokémon. In fact, they glared up at the god Pokémon, Bertha even slapping her bone repeatedly into her palm in a threatening manner.

"Guys," Katara whispered, tears begging to brim in her eyes. "You came!"

"Of course we did," Asura spoke. He, along with Grace, was already in his mega evolved form. His eyes burned with annoyance, as if insulted by the mere fact that Katara thought that they would not help. "We're a team remember. We stick together. Something you two would do well to remember."

The mega Medicham cast reproachful glances at DJ and Katara who had the decency to look chastised. "We were on a deadline," DJ argued weakly.

"I understand that, but it was still foolish of you to face Mewtwo alone, not to mention Arceus," Grace lectured, wagging her finger as if she were scolding a child.

"Sorry, Grace," DJ and Katara chorused.

"I hate to intrude, but could you perhaps scold them at a later date?" Mewtwo spoke up, floating to his feet. DJ noted that the legendary's flight was rather shakily. "We're in the middle of something."

That seemed to sober the group up as they, seemingly, remembered that there was an all powerful god Pokémon standing a few yards away from them. Said god had been too caught off guard by the group's sudden appearance and had not said anything as they all conversed with one another. However, his stupor was quick to dissipate as he now glared down at the group.

" **WHO DARES INTERFERE?** "

Asura stepped forward, glaring up at the massive legendary. "We're Team Stardust and we're here to stop you!" he shouted, his voice carrying through the hall.

Arceus snorted in disdain. " **HMPH. BE IT TWELVE OPPONENTS OR ONE HUNDRED. ALL WILL FALL BEFORE ME!** " he roared.

Asura just looked up at the legendary and grinned. "Then I guess it's a good thing we brought some back up."

Arceus tilted his head to the side in confusion. Before he could demand what the Medicham had meant by that, and orb of pink energy shot through the sky and slammed into the side of his head. Arceus stumbled, more out of surprise then actual pain, and glared up at where the attack had come from.

Following the legendary's gaze, DJ blanched upon seeing a familiar pink feline floating just where the lip of the structure met one of the spires. "MEW?!"

"Well duh," Blitz said, rolling his eyes. "How else do you think we got here?"

"But how did she know to come here?" DJ asked, still staring up at the new species Pokémon in awe.

"I told her," Mewtwo said, earning surprised looks from DJ and Katara.

"When? We were with you the entire time" Katara said.

"We are siblings," Mewtwo said as if that explained everything. When he still received confused looks he explained, "We have a connection of sorts. When she felt my own mind become free of the negative energy's control, she contacted me through our link. I told her the situation and she said that she would soon arrive with help. Though she took much longer than I anticipated..."

"I heard that!" Mew cried, flying down to Mewtwo and slapping the side of his head. "It took time to gather everyone up!"

" **ENOUGH!** " Arceus suddenly shouted, bringing everyone's attention back to him. " **YOUR PRESENCE, MEW, CHANGES NOTHING. YOU STILL STAND NO CHANCE OF BEATING ME!** "

"Oh, I know," Mew said, surprising Arceus. She then smirked mischievously. "That's why I brought some more friends."

The little psychic type put two fingers in her mouth a gave a shrill whistle that seemed to go on for miles. For a long agonizing minute, nothing happened. The group, minus Mew, began to shift anxiously, looking around for any change. As the silence stretched on, Arceus focused his attention on Mew and glared. He made to say something when a sudden large and heavy form suddenly crashed into the ground a ways behind Arceus.

Arceus whipped around and came face to face with a wickedly grinning bipedal giant. The Pokémon had primarily blue skin with a long tail with dark pink markings. It had six three fingered arms that had golden rings around their wrists and the ends of their forearms and floated several feat away from the Pokémon's body. The giant stood on two legs that were styled almost like a jester's shows with the same pink markings on them as it did its tail. Its hair was pink and styled in a large bushy ponytail with two black horns grew on the side of its head, both with a gold ring on them. Tufts of the same dark pink fur surrounded its torso, framing a black hold in the center of its chest.

"WHAHAHA!" the creature laughed, their sharp teeth glinting dangerously in the dark light of the central well. "NEVER FEAR, FOR HOOPA IS HERE!"

"Now's not the time for showboating, Hoopa," Mew said flatly.

The giant now identified as Hoopa seemed to pout. "Fine," he grunted before flinging the rings that had been on his person. The rings suddenly stopped in their flight and expanded, becoming almost as large as Hoopa himself. Said legendary smirked and clapped his hands loudly. "Alright everyone! Show time!"

The moment this was said, Pokémon, large and small, began to exist the rings, and not just any Pokémon. Legendaries.

The regis, the Weather Trio (all of whom were in their second forms), the Swords of Justice, Giratina, Darkrai, Zygarde in his one hundred percent form, even ones that DJ and Katara recognized from the tiles; Lugia, Ho-oh, Latios and Latias, the emotion trio, the mythical beasts, Dialga, Palkia, and many others. They deftly exited the portals and stood before the alpha Pokémon, the ones that could fly flew overhead, circling the central well. All of them stared down at the god Pokémon with intense glares.

"So many of them," Katara gawked having finally gotten to her feet. "Are they all legendaries?"

"Well, the ones I could find anyway," Mew said, waving her paw in a nonchalant manner. She then grew surprisingly serious and turned back towards Arceus. "You, DJ, and Mewtwo sit back. Leave the rest of this to us."

"If you really think that I'll just sit back and watch while this battle is going on, then you do not know me very well, dear sister," Mewtwo grumbled, moving to stand next to his counterpart.

"That goes for me too," DJ said, stubbornly making his way to stand next to the smaller psychic feline despite his noticeable limp. "I'm not giving up yet."

Mew regarded the Lucario critically. Before anyone could react, she lashed out with her tail, slapping DJ harshly in the gut.

DJ coughed violently, keeling over onto the ground, clutching his stomach. Katara gave a shrill cry and dropped to her friend's side. The other members of Team Stardust too looked concerned, some of them glaring at Mew thoughts of revenge.

"Wh-Why'd you do that?" DJ coughed, looking at the Pokémon that had brought him to the Pokémon world with a look of betrayal.

"You've taken too much damage, you would only be a liability," she said seriously, her eyes cold and calculating. This was not the Mew that DJ had met, this was a Pokémon who had existed for thousands of years, seeing all the wars and death that came with the passage of time. "If you were to fight as you are now," she continued, "you will die."

DJ swallowed thickly, but stubbornly glared up at the psychic type. Mew held his gaze for several more seconds before turning to Mewtwo. "If you're sure brother," she said. "I won't be responsible should something happen..."

"Since when have I needed your assistance," Mewtwo scoffed, though there was a slight hint of playfulness in his tone.

Mew nodded in ascent before turning to Katara who was helping DJ sit up. "Watch him. Make sure he doesn't get involved."

Katara nodded mutely, ignoring the mutinous look that flashed across DJ face. Mew nodded and addressed Arceus, who was silently gazing at the legendaries that surrounded him. "Arceus! As your own children, tasked with watching over this world and protecting it from harm, we will stop you!"

Arceus turned towards Mew, his expression blank. " **SO, YOU SIDE AGAINST ME? SO BE IT.** " The alpha Pokémon began to rise into the air, his power beginning to rise in turn. " **IF IT IS YOUR DESIRE TO DEFY ME, THEN YOU WILL ALL FACE JUDGEMENT!** "

In response, the other legendaries roared in defiance and lunged towards the alpha Pokémon. Team Stardust too joined in the chorus of shouts and attacked the god, determined to avenge their two teammates.

For the first few minutes, it looked as if Arceus was on the defensive. The legendaries' assault was as relentless as it was ruthless. The sky flashed with the myriad of beams, blasts, and other attacks as they exploded in the air. It might as well have been daylight out with the constant bursts of multicolored light lighting up the sky. Even Team Stardust was able to add their own attacks into the storm up above.

Arceus, to the best of his ability, weaved through the attacks, but there were just too many. Blows glanced across his flank as he moved. He returned fire, adding his own blasts of energy into the fray, catching many of his opponents, but being hit twice as often. There were so many attacks at such a quick pace that he could not even switch his typing fast enough to negate or mitigate the damage he was receiving.

Arceus growled, shooting a high powered hydro pump at Groudon, knocking the behemoth onto his back. He then grunted in pain when both Rayquaza and Mew hit him with dragon pulse and psychic respectively, sending him to the ground. Arceus landed heavily on his feet, the ground cracking underneath him, but he remained standing. Unfortunately, he was not expecting the four Swords and Justice to leap on to him, their swords alight.

The alpha Pokémon could not withhold a sharp gasp of pain as the four blades streaked across his back, prompting him to use lava plume to knock them away, doing heavy damage to Cobalion and Virzion. He turned towards the quartet, intent on doing more damage to them, when he was struck from behind by a fairy wind and psyshock attack. Turning he saw Grace and Asura rushing towards him.

" **MORTALS SHOULD LEARN THEIR PLACE!** " Arceus shouted, beginning to charge up another attack, only to be hit from the sides by an aqua jet and volt tackle from Jet and Blitz.

Arceus stumbled, his balance threatened by the uneven ground. Before he could recover, he was then assaulted by a dark pulse, courtesy of Jackson, smashing into his right front leg. At the same moment, Bertha, Drake, and Blade attacked his other three with attacks of their own. Arceus' legs buckled under the combined attacks and he fell prone onto his side.

Seeing the god prone, the other legendaries attacked. Their attacks lit up the sky to almost blinding proportions as they rained down upon the alpha Pokémon. Said light intensified as they all came together and struck the legendary. Everything suddenly became silent as everything, even the dark energy of the central was engulfed in an endless white. A second later, the concussive blast of the combined attacks burst out, tearing up more of the already damaged ground, cracking the walls, and damaging the spires.

Team Stardust and the other ground locked legendaries were all forced to hunker down, grasping anything they could to in order to keep from being thrown back. DJ and Katara were in similar states, both hardly able to keep themselves from being lost in the explosion.

The explosion lasted for almost a whole minute, the shock wave lasting more than three times as long. Finally, the light died down, leaving an overflow of smoke to spill out of the Hall of Origins. The smoke slowly began to filter out of the large building and disperse, revealing the definitely ruined Hall. The walls were heavily cracked, whole sections falling off. Two of the spires had actually fallen during the explosion, becoming nothing but rubble before they even touched the ground. Even the hallways leading into the main room were damaged, more than half of the tile displays now unrecognizable.

The legendaries and Team Stardust waited with bated breath, staring at the spot where Arceus had been before the attack. The smoke almost purposefully began to lift at a slow pace, adding to the already mounting tension. Finally, gaps began to appear in the smoke clouds, allowing for a heart dropping green light to be seen.

"No way," DJ muttered, seeing the light. "Is that..."

The words died in his throat as his fears were confirmed. Arceus was steadily getting up to his feet, surrounded by a bright green dome. Arceus had used protect, rendering the attack completely useless.

"He took no damage from that," Katara said in horror.

Like the Greninja, the legendaries all gained horrified expressions as the alpha Pokémon got back to his feet. Arceus dropped his shield and looked at the assembled Pokémon, rage burning in his eyes.

" **YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR INSOLENCE,** " he growled before shouting, " **YOU WILL ALL PAY!** "

A familiar orb of energy formed in front of Arceus before rocketing high into the air, well past the flying legendaries. No one was able to react in time as the orb exploded, releasing a storm of meteors down upon everyone.

Meteors came down from the sky like rain. Explosions filled the air as the meteor's made contact. Everyone tried to avoid the falling projectiles, but there were just too many. By the time the attack had ended, several of the legendaries had fallen to the ground, some of them showing not showing any sign of consciousness. Team Stardust had been able to avoid the majority of the attacks, but were all heavily damaged.

"They can't win," DJ said as he watched the rest of the legendaries regroup and begin to launch their attacks again, all of which proved to be futile. "Arceus' is just too strong! We can't win."

Katara remained silent for several seconds before she took in a deep breath and stood. DJ looked up at his friend in confusion. "Katara."

"Stay here," she said, catching DJ off guard.

"What are you about to do?" DJ asked, already fearing her answer.

"I have to help," she said, her voice devoid of emotion, but DJ could still feel them. She was terrified. She turned and gave DJ a wobbly smile. "You stay here. You're more injured than I am. You just rest up."

"But you're injured too!" DJ shouted, trying, and failing, to get up. "You'll die!"

Katara just smiled and turned back to the fight. "I know, but..." she trailed of, her gaze becoming distant. "That's what being part of an exploration guild is all about."

With that, Katara joined the fray.

DJ reached out for his friend, the words to call his friend back dying before they could reach his lips. He wanted so desperately to help, to join his friend and team in battle against Arceus, but he could not. He was too weak, like Mew said, he would just be a liability.

"Dammit!" DJ cursed, punching the ground, angry tears biting at his eyes. "Why am I so helpless? I was brought to this world to save it, but I can't do anything! Why am I so weak?!"

" _YOU ARE NOT,_ " a disembodied voice spoke out, startling DJ. " _YOU SIMPLY DO NOT FULL UNDERSTAND THE POWER YOU POSSESS._ "

DJ looked around wildly for the source of the voice. "Who-"

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over DJ, causing his question to slur. Before he knew what was happening, DJ's world faded to black.

-Legend-

When DJ finally opened his eyes, he knew immediately that he was no longer in the Hall of Origins. He was floating in the middle of a world of multicolored light. Blues melded with greens, reds mixed with yellows. No color stayed the same for longer than five seconds. It was being trapped in a kaleidoscope.

"Where am I," DJ questioned, noting the odd distortion in his voice.

"FEAR NOT, YOUNG ONE," the same voice from before spoke. "YOU ARE SAFE HERE."

DJ frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but he could not place it. "Who are you?"

DJ's answer was a bright flash of white light that dwarfed all other colors. DJ hissed in pain as he was forced to shut his eyes and turned away from the light as it intensified. DJ hesitantly cracked an eye open as the light began to recede, revealing a large Pokémon. A Pokémon that looked scarily similar to another Pokémon.

"Arceus!" DJ yelped, trying, and failing, to move back without any solid ground underneath him.

The god Pokémon chuckled merrily at the Lucario's panic stated before saying, "PEACE, YOUNG HUMAN. I MEAN YOU NO HARM."

DJ froze. "How'd you know I was human?" he asked, his wide eyes finding Arceus' green, noting that the legendary's appearance was a stark contrast to the one that he was fighting just minutes ago. Where the Arceus from before what black and silver, this Arceus was a pristine white and gold. His eyes glowed bright green, brimming with warmth and kindness. "You...You're not like the other Arceus."

"NO, I AM NOT. YET, AT THE SAME TIME, I AM." the legendary said in a frustratingly cryptic manner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" DJ asked irritably.

"FORGIVE ME," Arceus chuckled good-naturedly. "IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I HAVE HAD PLEASANT CONVERSATION THAT I FIND MYSELF FORGETTING THAT NOT EVERYONE POSSESSES THE SAME STREAM OF THOUGHT THAT I POSSESS."

"...was that an insult?"

"OH HEAVEN'S NO!" Arceus appeared rather flustered. "AGAIN, IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I LAST SPOKE WITH SOMEONE. MY SPEACH HAS BECOME RATHER...BLUNT. I MEANT NO OFFENCE."

"Okay then..." DJ said uncertainly. "So what did you mean by you not being that Arceus while being him?"

"WHAT I MEANT WAS, I _AM_ THE ARCEUS THAT YOU WERE FIGHTING, OR, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE GOOD THAT IS LEFT IN HIM," Arceus explained.

"How does that work?" DJ asked curiously.

"AS I AM SURE MY COUNTERPART EXPLAINED, I CREATED THIS WORLD. FOR CENTURIES, I HAVE WATCHED MY CHILDREN GROW AND PROSPER." Arceus' expression suddenly became closed off, a melancholy air wafting from him. "I ALSO WATCHED AS THEY FOUGHT AND HURT ONE ANOTHER FOR THEIR OWN SELFISH GAINS."

Arceus bowed his head, as if he were ashamed. "I BECAME BITTER TOWARDS THE CREATIONS I HAD ONCE BEEN SO PROUD OF. I BEGAN TO RESENT THEM, RESENT MY OWN CHILDREN FOR WHAT I HAD GIVEN THEM. I EVEN WISHED THAT I COULD JUST START OVER," DJ inhaled sharply, "BUT I COULD NOT. I COULD NOT KILL WHAT I HAD CREATED. UNFORTUNATELY, THE CENTRAL WELL PREYED ON THIS."

"Preyed on?" DJ repeated. "You talk as if the central well is alive."

"NO, THE WELL IS NOT ALIVE, BUT THE NEGATIVE ENERGY IS," Arceus said. "ALL THE YEARS OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS BUILDING UP WITHIN MY CREATIONS CREATED ITS OWN LIFE, A MASS OF LIVING HATE THAT CONTINUED TO GROW AND FEAST ON ALL THE NEGAIVE EMOTIONS THAT PLAGUED THIS WORLD." Arceus looked at DJ. "EVEN MY OWN.

"IT LATCHED ON TO MY RESENTMENT AND ALTERED ME AS I HAD MEWTWO, AND HE THE OTHER LEGENDARIES," Arceus continued. "HOWEVER, THE NEGATIVE ENERGY THAT THE ENTITY INFECTED ME WITH COULD NOT SNUFF OUT ALL OF MY LOVE FOR MY CREATIONS. I, SEALED THAT PART OF MYSELF AWAY, AWAY FROM THE INFLUENCE OF THE DARKNESS, SO THAT I COULD INSTILL KNOWLEDGE UPON YOU WHEN THE NEED ARRIVED."

"Huh?" DJ questioned, completely lost.

"YOU SEE, WHILE IT WAS MEW THAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS WORLD, IT WAS I THAT CREATED YOUR POWER," Arceus explained.

"You?!" DJ squeaked. He quickly cleared his through and asked, " _You_ created this power?"

"I DID," Arceus confirmed. "I KNEW IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE NEGATIVE ENERGY CONSUMED ME, SO I CREATED YOUR 'SHINING AURA', AS YOU CALL IT, WITH THE SOLE PURPOSE OF STOPPING ME SHOULD THE SITUATION CALL FOR IT. I THEN INTRUSTED IT TO MEW TO GIVE IT TO ONE THAT SHE DEEMS WORTHY, WHICH SHE DID, ONLY FOR HIM TO BE CORRUPTED BY HER BROTHER, THE FIRST OF THE LEGENDARIES I CORRUPTED."

"Luke," DJ whispered.

"INDEED," Arceus stated. "THANKFULLY, MEW WAS ABLE TO PULL BACK A PORTION OF THE POWER, PREVENTING IT FROM BEING LOST COMPLETELY, LEAVING ENOUGH OF IT TO BE BESTOWED A SECOND TIME, AT HALF POWER HOWEVER."

"Half power..." DJ gave a humorless chuckle. "That explains why I was worthless against you back in reality..."

"NO, YOU ARE WRONG." DJ looked up, confusion clear on his expression. "THE POWER, LIKE YOU, WAS MEANT TO GROW, TO BECOME MORE POWERFUL AS TIME WENT ON. AS IT IS NOW, YOU POWER IS WHAT IT WAS WHEN I FIRST BESTOWED IT TO MEW."

"What?!" DJ exclaimed. "But then...how did I lose so easily."

"BECAUSE YOU DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR POWER IS." Arceus drifted closer so that DJ was directly in front of his face. "TELL ME, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR POWER IS?"

"Um, some kind of ability that increases my strength?"

"CLOSE, BUT NO. IN REALITY, YOUR 'SHINING AURA' DRAWS IN THE AURA FROM THE POKÉMON AROUND YOU. NOW DO NOT WORRY, IT DOES NOT HARM THOSE IN YOUR VICINITY," Arceus added upon seeing the horrified expression cross over DJ's face. "IT SIMPLY CONNECTING YOUR AURA TO THEIRS, GIVING YOU INCREASED STRENGTH AND POWER AS WELL AS SOME OF THEIR TENDENCIES AND FIGHTING STYLES. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT, WHEN YOU USE YOUR SHINING AURA, YOU USE BATTLE TACTICS AND MOVEMENTS THAT ARE REMINISCENT OF THOSE AROUND YOU?"

"Yeah... no that you mention it..." DJ said, thinking back to his various battles.

"THAT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE CONNECTED TO THEIR AURA. IN A WAY, YOU WERE SHARING THEIR AURA, BECOMING MORE THAN JUST YOURSELF AS YOU FOUGHT. UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE I HAVE BECOME SO SEEPED WITH NEGATIVE ENERGY, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO CONNECT WITH MY OWN AURA, LIMITING YOUR POWER DUIRING YOUR FIGHT AND EVEN WITH THE OTHER LEGENDARIES PRESENT, IT WILL NOT GRANT YOU ENOUGH POWER TO DEFEAT ME."

"Then what do I do?"

"AS I STATED, YOUR POWER HAS BEEN EVOLVING SINCE IT WAS BESTOWED UPON YOU. YOUR RANGE AND CAPACITY HAVE INCREASED, MEANING YOU CAN TAKE IN MORE AURA THAN YOU COULD ORIGINALLY."

"Okay, how does that help me?" DJ asked rather impatiently.

"YOU MUST CONNECT YOURSELF TO NOT JUST THOSE AROUND YOU, BUT ALL THOSE THAT LIVE IN THIS WORLD," Arceus answered, raising himself to his full height. "YOU MUST BECOME ONE WITH THIS WORLD IF YOU WANT ANY HOPE OF WINNING AGAINST ME!"

As Arceus said this, his form began to fade. "TO SAVE THIS WORLD, YOU MUST LINK YOURSELF TO IT. IT IS THE ONLY WAY."

"Wait!" DJ cried out in desperation. "How am I supposed to connect myself with the world?!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO..." Arceus said, even his voice was beginning to fade. "ALLOW YOUR SHINING AURA TO GUIDE YOU." With those final words, Arceus' form faded, leaving DJ alone.

"Dammit," DJ cursed. "That didn't answer anything!"

Soon, DJ's anger faded. Taking a deep breath, DJ tried to relax. "Okay, I can do this. I just need to use my shining aura to connect myself with the entire world. No biggie." Several seconds passed and DJ opened his eyes. "How the hell am I supposed to do that."

Without any other ideas, DJ activated his shining aura, the blue flame-like energy igniting around him. "Okay, now what?" he asked allowed, looking at his paws as if he were expecting an answer from them.

Minutes passed and still nothing.

Frustration began to build in the aura Pokémon. "Come on!" he shouted, directing his anger at his own power. "Arceus said you were the key, so hurry up and do something."

Several more minutes passed, and still nothing.

At that point DJ was about to give up, his anger and frustration building. Then, as quickly as his anger came, DJ felt a sudden calm. He swore he could hear _something_ speaking to him, telling him what to do. He pulled his legs up and got into a meditative position. The tension left his body, his body and his mind becoming tranquil. Even the raging blue light of his shining aura reacted to his calm, resembling more of a candle instead of a wild fire. Closing his eyes, DJ could see thousands-no, _millions_ of blue lines branching out, interlacing with one another like a spider web. Each line led to spheres of light, all glowing as intensely any other.

"They're all connected," DJ found himself muttering. "I understand."

As these words left DJ's mouth, the glow around him increased to the point where it overtook the light around him.

-Legend-

Back in the land of consciousness, it was chaos. Casualties ran high with legendaries falling left and right. Even Team Stardust was not spared from the monster that was Arceus, several of their members having been felled as well.

"This doesn't look good," Asura grunted out, dodging another beam of energy, his movements hampered with Grace's unconscious body slung across his shoulders.

"We have to keep fighting!" Mew shouted back, her own injuries weighing her down. "If we don't stop Arceus now, all is lost!"

"It might already be too late," Mewtwo stated, pointing towards the sky. "Look!"

Everyone in hearing range of the genetic Pokémon all followed where he was pointing. The dark mass of clouds that had been building up had reached critical mass. Now, the entire night sky, stars and all, were completely shielded from view by the clouds. The dark energy flashed and crackled at a more frequent and far more violent pace. After a particularly harsh flash of purple energy, a flurry of what appeared to be black snow began to fall.

"It's already started," Mew said, fear coloring her voice. She then turned and shouted, "Don't let it touch you!"

Everyone headed the pink feline's words, doing their best to avoid the black snow. The snow touched the ground and seemed to sink into the earth as if it were liquid being absorbed by carpet, a dark stain being left in its place. The 'stains' then began to slowly grow and expand, steadily beginning to cover more and more ground.

"Crap!" Blitz yelped as a tendril of inky darkness stretched out from the stain, reaching for him. It would have grabbed him had it not been for a well timed intervention from Bertha's bone club.

"Dammit!" Bertha cursed as the tendril wrapped around her weapon, forcing her to let got.

"If that stuff touches you, you will be corrupted," Mew informed them, doing her best to avoid the falling darkness.

"Easier said that done!" Jet shouted, doing his best to drag Blade and Drake away from the growing stains and precipitation.

The larger legendaries, ones that could not be physically moved, had no way of avoiding the stains and were affected. Inky darkness began to slowly spread over their forms starting from the point where the darkness touched them.

Mew saw this and cursed under her breath, her mind moving a mile a minute. "Move who you can to the hallway!"

"It's no good!" Keldeo shouted, backing away from the exist, dark stains following him. "The hallway's compromised!"

" **IT IS FUTILE,** " Arceus stated, calmly watching as the darkness began to spread. " **YOU CANNOT STOP THE SPREAD OF DARKNESS. YOU HAVE FAILED.** "

"What do we do?" Katara asked, backing into a corner to escape the growing stains and grasping tendrils.

Mew's eyes surveyed the situation at a rapid pace. There was almost no open land and more than half of their allies were in the process of being covered, the rest being backed towards the rapidly shrinking pockets of clear land. After several seconds, her eyes lost some of their light.

"I don't know..."

Everything seemed to stop in that one second. Shouts of fear and outrage as Pokémon found themselves and their friends become ensnared by the darkness. Those who were free looked down at the encroaching darkness with expressions of fear, defiance, anger, or a mix of the three. Everything was hopeless.

Then, just as everything seemed lost, a miracle happened.

A sudden burst of blue light exploded from the center of the room, several yards away from the central well. The light washed over the room like water filling a pool, reaching every nook and cranny of the hall. Those touched by the light gasped as the felt a sudden feeling a warmth and security come over them. The tensions in their bodies began to ebb away, their fear replaced by calm, a sudden blossoming of hope beginning to grow.

The dark snow that had been falling seemed to evaporate into nothing. The dark stains were somehow moving to the edges of the hall, slipping past the stunned fighters as if something was physically pulling the darkness as it went. Those that had once been in the process of being covered found the darkness being pulled from them, leaving them clear and uncorrupted.

Arceus himself, seemed to experience mild discomfort as the wave of light crashed into him like a wave. The alpha Pokémon stumbled, but remained standing, his eyes burning with surprise and anger. " **WHAT IS THIS?!** "

Asura looked around at his now blue surroundings when a sudden movement on his shoulders caught his attention. "Ooh," Grace groaned, regaining consciousness. Asura carefully set the shiny Mawile down, keeping her steady. "What happened?" she asked once the world had stopped spinning. She then noticed that everything was blue. "What did I miss?"

"I'm not sure myself," Asura confessed.

"Whatever it is, it's healing everyone," Mew said, pointing to her fellow legendaries as they began to awaken. Even her own injuries were beginning to fade.

"But what's causing this," Jackson asked.

"Look!" Katara cried, pointing towards the center of the room.

In the epicenter of the light was a pillar of bright blue, almost white, light. The pillar was shooting straight into the dark cloud, tearing through it and widening the hole to the point where the clouds no longer covered the hall.

"What the hell is that?" Blitz asked.

"Whatever it is, it just bought us some time," Leaf commented grimly.

Katara frowned, her eyes narrowing at the light. "But that's where I left-"

All at once, the blue light began to receded as if it were being sucked back into the pillar. Even so, however, the feeling of warmth that the light had brought remained. The pillar began to decrease in size along with the receding light. As the pillar shrank, a shape could be made out from the center. A very familiar shape.

"Now way," Asura gasped. "That's..."

"DJ!" Katara exclaimed in relief.

True to the Greninja's words, as the pillar faded, the former human stood strong and proudly, with one key difference. Unlike with his shining aura, or his primal aura, a burning, flame-like aura did not surround him, instead, it looked like he _was_ aura. The Lucario's entire form glowed bright blue, wisps of what looked like blue flames clinging to his paws, spikes, aura sensors, ears, and tail. His eyes appeared to be shut, though it was hard to tell as his entire form was a solid blue.

" **WHAT IS THIS?!** " Arceus growled, glaring at the glowing Lucario.

DJ's ear twitched and his eyes opened up to gaze at the alpha Pokémon. Arceus took an involuntary half-step back as he was met with intense solid white eyes that practically emanated power. Despite the Lucario having no pupils or irises, he had no doubt that the aura Pokémon was indeed looking at him.

For several heavily tense minutes, neither Arceus nor DJ spoke. They just stood their, sizing up the other. Everyone else could only gaze in wonderment at the suddenly revived Lucario who appeared to be making the alpha Pokémon, the one who they had barely even scratched, nervous.

The silence persisted before Arceus broke it. " **ANSWER ME MORTAL!** "

DJ still stood silent, giving no indication that he had even heard the legendary. This proved to infuriate the god to titanic proportions.

" **I WILL NOT BE MOCKED!** " Arceus shouted as he began to charge up a hyper beam.

The loud cries from the onlookers to get out of the way fell upon deaf ears as DJ just stood there staring at Arceus as his attack continued to amass power. Seeing the Lucario's calm demeanor in the face of such a powerful attack only served to enrage Arceus even more.

" **RAAH!** " Arceus roared, firing his hyper beam at the stoic Pokémon. The torrent of purple energy screamed through the air, engulfing the Lucario in its light before exploding with enough force to shake the entire mountain.

The onlooker stared in horror as DJ took such a powerful attack directly, fearing what had happened to the Lucario. Team Stardust in particular were distraught over what had just occurred, fearing the worst for their friend. Arceus had an air of satisfaction about him as he stared at the smoking crater that he was sure held the broken and defeated form of the upstart mortal that had dared to defy him. His look of satisfaction soon faded when he saw a blue light peeking out from the smoke. When the smoke fully cleared, DJ stood just as strong and proud as he had before, a bright blue shield glowing in front of him.

"Did he just use protect?" Katara questioned having never seen her friend use such a move.

"No, that's not it," Mewtwo said, taking a step closer. "That's a shield of pure aura!"

"Pure aura?" Grace asked in bewilderment. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but whatever that form is, it had made DJ himself aura," Mewtwo observed.

Ignorant to the conversation happening to the side, DJ continued to stare at the alpha Pokémon who was perplexed at how easily his attack was blocked. The Lucario's eyes took on a dangerous glint as his shield faded away. Half a second later, he was gone.

Arceus was visibly shocked, actually taking a step back. His head whipped around, frantically searching for the missing Lucario. His search was abruptly cut short when an intense pain erupted across his cheek. DJ had appeared right before the alpha Pokémon and punched him in the face with enough force to generate its own shock wave.

Half a second later, Arceus was suddenly jettisoned across the room, crashing into the wall and collapsing it.

"Whoa," Blitz gawked.

"He just sent Arceus flying," Bertha gaped. "With one punch!"

The legendaries were not much better at hiding their shock.

"He moved so fast," Darkrai commented, his single eye wide. "I have never seen anyone move that fast!"

Deoxys, who floated silently behind the dark type, could not help but nod their head in agreement.

"That coupled with the power that was behind that punch..." Cobalion added. "He has dwarfed all of us in terms of power."

"THE QUESTION IS, CAN HE EFFECTIVELY USE THAT POWER," Rayquaza stated.

"I'd say he he's doing quite well in that regard," Keldeo chirped as DJ, once more, seemingly disappearing and reappearing before Arceus and _threw_ the god across the room into the opposite wall.

Arceus pulled himself out of the now ruined wall, his red eyes blazing with barely restrained fury. With a roar, the god took to the sky, wanting to get the aerial advantage. When he reached the lip of the, at that point, barely standing building, he turned to face his opponent only to find said Lucario floating several feat away from him.

DJ was flying.

" **H-HOW?!** " Once more, DJ did not answer the legendary. Before Arceus knew what was happening, he was sent reeling through the sky from a brutal kick from DJ.

Arceus recovered quickly, however, and resumed glaring at Lucario. He was baffled by the fact that he was _losing_ to a mortal. It was inconceivable to him and that infuriated him. White hot anger burned through Arceus' veins, eliminating any other emotion. With a low growl, he sent a powerful fire blast at the Lucario.

As the giant burning symbol raced towards him, DJ, like before, remained calm. He watched impassively as the attack grew closer and closer until, at the last second, he lifted his arm and brought it down in a chopping motion. The burning symbol then split in half, leaving both halves to continue to the ground, away from everyone else.

" **TH-THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!** " Arceus stuttered, anger temporarily forgotten as he watched his attack being cut in half.

DJ stared at the legendary for another second before he raised both his arms, bringing his paws together. The glow around his paws intensified to almost blinding proportions as an orb of aura began to form. The orb resembled DJ's aura sphere, yet seemed almost wilder in shape, as if the aura was fighting to be released. Without a word, DJ aimed the sphere at Arceus and, instead of firing the orb, a large cone of aura was released, heading straight for Arceus, the energy growing in size as it traveled.

Unable to react in time, Arceus was completely engulfed by the blue energy. Down below, the legendaries and Team Stardust were forced shield their eyes as the light had reached blinding levels. Shock waves resonated from the beam, cracking the damaged building, destroying what remained of the damaged walls and spires.

After several seconds of maintaining his attack, DJ cut off the flow of aura. The mass of aura faded and Arceus, no longer being held up by the forceful attack, plummeted to the ground, his entire body smoking.

The legendary landed with a loud crash, falling on his side. A single cry emanated from the heavily damaged god as pain lanced through him. With barely any strength left, the alpha Pokémon lifted his head and gazed at DJ as he floated to the ground.

" **HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?** " Arceus wheezed, wincing even as he talked. " **HOW COULD YOU BE THIS STRONG?** "

DJ looked up at the larger Pokémon and, for a second, Arceus thought he would not answer. Which is why it came as a shock when the Lucario spoke.

"This is not my power," DJ said, his voice almost echoing. Arceus seemed confused by the Lucario's answer, but said nothing as DJ explained. "This power...belongs to all of us. All of the Pokémon in this world. The ones _you_ created."

DJ stepped closer to the legendary so that he was at arms length with the alpha Pokémon's face. "You say that we are failed creations, that we are disgraces to everything you stand for, but in reality, it is the power of those that you have deemed as failures that courses through me."

DJ reached out and placed a paw on the top of Arceus' head. "And it is with this power," he continued, his eyes firmly locked onto Arceus', "that I release you from the darkness that has swallowed your heart."

The light around the paw DJ had placed upon Arceus glowed brightly and seemed to be growing larger. However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that the light itself was not glowing, but was instead beginning to cover Arceus' body.

Arceus shouted, thrashing wildly, trying to get away from the Lucario, but DJ held firm. The light continued to travel along the legendary's body until he was completely engulfed. The now blue Arceus flashed white for several seconds before he went still, the light beginning to recede. With the light was finally gone, Arceus had returned to his pristine white and gold color.

The now white Arceus weakly lifted his head, his gaze finding DJ's. "THANK...YOU..." With that, Arceus succumbed to unconsciousness.

A beat passed. Then another. Then another. Then-

"Holy crap!" Katara squealed, being the first to overcome her stupor. She began to move over to her friend when the ground started to shake.

"What's happening?!" Jackson yelped, hardly able to keep his balance.

"The darkness is coming back," Leaf hissed.

True to the Grovyle's word, the darkness that had been pushed back by DJ's presence was once again moving in. Up above, the clouds were reforming once more, negative energy crackling with vengeance.

"The dark wells are still in affect!" Mew cried. "We need to stop them now!"

"But how?" Asura asked.

"There is only one way." The group turned to see DJ at the lip of the central well, well passed the shield that was supposed to protect the well.

"DJ?" Katara questioned, a slight twinge of fear in her voice. "What are you doing?"

The former human turned, his white eyes, while intimidating, held only warmth and love. "The central well is connected to each and every dark well in the world, meaning, it is the source of all the negative energy of the world. If it is stopped, then all the other wells will close off."

Katara looked confused for a second. She understood what DJ was saying, but she did not comprehend how this information would help. Half a second later, Katara's eyes widened as she remembered certain other former human and how they met their end. "No...DJ, don't!"

The group behind her gained confused looks, unsure of what could have set Katara off. Mew and Mewtwo both looked solemn.

Katara moved towards her friend, but was stopped by the shield. "Please, don't do this!" Katara cried, desperately beating against the shield, trying desperately to reach her friend. "Don't leave me!"

DJ gave his friend one final smile. "I'm sorry, Katara, but his has to be done," he said, a glistening tear sliding down his cheek. He then turned to the well and placed both paws upon it.

At once, DJ's body began to glow brighter than ever before. Like with Arceus, the glow began to slowly spread over the well, seeping deep inside and to the bubbling negative energy that resided beneath. A strained look came over the Lucario's face as he felt the negative energy fight back against him.

"For far too long you have bubbled beneath this world, exerting your influence on the innocent Pokémon that live here," DJ spoke aloud, addressing the negative energy itself. "No more. I will seal you away so that you can never harm anyone ever again!"

DJ then turned his head once more to Katara. Tears were streaming down her face as she continued to attack the shield that separated them. DJ smiled.

"Thank you, Katara," DJ whispered, his voice just loud enough to reach the former human's first friend. "Thank you for everything."

With his final words spoken, DJ turned back to the well and pushed everything he had into the well. DJ light became blinding forcing everyone to avert their gaze. Katara continued to scream her friend's name as everything went white.

All over the world, the dark wells stopped spewing dark energy and was replaced by a glowing blue light. The new light covered the world, extinguishing all traces of the corrupting darkness from the earth and its inhabitants. Soon the blue light receded, sinking into the wells, forming a layer around the stone structures, permanently sealing the negative energy below.

Back in what used to be the Hall of Origins, the blinding light had finally faded and a new light began to spread over the ruins. Across the horizon, the sun was beginning to rise on a new dawn.

"He did it," Jackson said in complete awe. "He really did it!"

At once, loud cheers broke out from the legendaries and Team Stardust. Arceus had been stopped and the dark wells had been sealed forever. All was right with the world and everyone was happy.

Everybody but one Pokémon.

Away from the celebrating crowd, a Greninja continued to cry out for her friend who she would never see again.


	37. Chapter 37

**Epilogue**

 **One year later:**

The sun shone high in the sky above the rebuilt Miracle Town. The denizens of the now flourishing town casually strolled through the streets, stopping to converse with friends. Children shrieked with joy, racing in between the large crowds. Shop owners cheerfully greeted those that passed their stalls, shouting out sales and goods they were selling. Lush trees and vibrant flowers dotted the area, their stray leaves and petals being taken by the wind and blown through the town, adding to its majesty. A little ways left of the stalls were a series of buildings that served as the homes of Miracle Town's citizens.

On the right hand side of town, stood Gallade's Guild, restored to its full glory and then some. Circling the Gallade shaped building were a series of totem poles, each head designed to look like a different Pokémon, that represented the teams that were part of the guild. Each totem pole was even spaced around the guild building, giving the guild the appearance that it had its own forest. Members of the guild came in and out of the building, occasionally stopping to speak with one another. At the mouth of the building stood Tobias with Alistair by his side, both looking at the young Pokémon with looks of pride.

In between the shopping district and the guild, in the center of the plaza, was a new feature of the town. A twelve foot gold statue situated on pedestal, depicting a Lucario with an easy-going grin, a guild badge on his chest of all to see. On the pedestal was a plaque that read: _In honor of the brave soul that gave his life for our world. May his explorations be plentiful in the next life._

The statue was finely polished, making it clear that it was well kept. Pokémon who walked past that statue bowed their heads in respect. Even the children would slow down when they passed, not willing to cause any disturbances around the plaza.

North of the plaza, along the nearby hills, were a series of large houses that were specifically for the members of Gallade's Guild. Unlike the the homes of the citizens, not only were these buildings larger, but also appeared older and more run down yet at the same time, there was a certain elegance to these houses. With he majority of the guild members having already gone out for the day, the hill was relatively silent, save for one house in particular that was decorated with blue stars.

"DAMMIT BLITZ!" Bertha screeched, stomping through the guild house, waving her bone menacingly.

"Can't catch me!" Blitz shouted back, dashing around the corner and into their lounge. As he burst into the room, no more was their a small yellow mouse, but instead a larger orange Raichu.

The now Raichu skidded to a halt before he could smash into a chair and quickly ducked behind it. A second, Bertha stormed into the room, her skull helmet covered in graffiti.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she roared, throwing her bone at Blitz's head.

The electric mouse squeaked and ducked, causing the bone to smash into the wall, cracking it, and bouncing back to Bertha, Realizing he was in danger, Blitz ran from around the chair just as Bertha jumped onto it, knocking it over.

"STAY STILL SO I CAN KILL YOU!"

"No way!"

Jackson, who was already in the room, having been sitting in the room along with Jet and Leaf, who, like Blitz, had reached his final stage, in order to relax, growled in annoyance. As the two continued to shout and carry on, the Umbreon reached his breaking point. His eyes flashed blue with psychic energy and, half a second later, a blue outline surrounded both Bertha and Blitz.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Blitz shouted, finding himself unable to move, Bertha having a similar problem.

With a little effort, Jackson lifted both Pokémon into the air before tossing them towards the window. Both Pokémon yelped as they found themselves lifted off the ground and thrown towards the _closed_ window. With a crash, both Pokémon were sprawled outside.

Not even a second later, the sound of fervent buzzing reached their ears, steadily getting closer. Blade flew into the room, his eyes wide and panicked. He frantically looked around the room before his eyes landed on the ruined window.

"Oh come on!" the Scizor groaned. "That the third one this week!"

"Then those two shouldn't be so annoying," Jackson said with a nonchalant shrug, sinking back into his seat.

Drake took that moment to walk in, he too had underwent his final evolution as was significantly taller and far more intimidating than before. Even so, his yellow eyes held a stoic calm that, while not exactly comforting, were not aggressive unlike many other dragon types. The dragon-ground type cocked his to the side, silently asking what happened.

"Blitz and Bertha," Leaf said, eyes never leaving the television.

Drake nodded in understanding and moved to sit in one of the chairs. At the same time, Blitz and Bertha once more burst into the room, their eyes on Jackson.

"The hell, Jackson?!" Blitz shouted indigently.

"What's the big idea, throwing us through the window?!" Bertha demanded at the same time.

Jackson gave the duo an unimpressed look. "You were interrupting a very important program."

"It's a documentary about the effects of the moon," Jet pointed out with a sweat-drop.

"And it is important!" Jackson huffed, returning his attention back to his program.

Both Blitz and Bertha growled in unison and advanced towards the Umbreon when a cough cut through the room. Everyone turned in unison towards the door to see Asura and Grace standing side by side. Grace looked like she was struggling to contain her laughter while Asura had an annoyed look on his face, though there was a smidgen of fondness in it.

"Dare I ask?" Asura deadpanned, receiving sheepish looks in return. The Medicham sighed in resignation. "Whatever, we've got a new set of missions for today."

Asura pulled out several sheets of paper and began reading them allowed. "There's a rescue mission to Stormy Meadow. Blitz, Jet, you two will be going on that one."

"Alright!" Blitz cheered. "I can finally get away from Bertha!"

Bertha responded by smacking Blitz across the back of his head with her bone, sending the Raichu face first into the floor.

"Moving on!" Asura grunted, glaring at Blitz and Bertha. "The next mission is to Ancient Canyon. There's a Kadabra hiding out from authorities their so I want Jackson and Drake to hunt him down."

"Got it," Jackson said.

"Understood," Drake responded.

Nodding, Asura continued. "Next, a client lost an item while exploring Precipice Mountain. I want Leaf, Katara, and-"

"Katara's not here," Leaf interrupted.

Asura looked up and blinked owlishly at the Sceptile. "What?"

"Katara's not here," Leaf repeated.

"And where is she?" Asura asked, his tone edging towards anger.

"She's...at his grave," Jackson mumbled, just loud enough to be heard.

Immediately, the atmosphere darkened. Smiles were wiped off faces and a depressive aura overtook the group. After several seconds, Grace broke the silence. "How about _I_ go in her stead," she suggested.

"S-Sure." Asura shook his head, quickly regained his composure. "I mean, yes. That will be acceptable."

The Medicham then coughed in a poor attempt at breaking the nervous air. "Anyway, the next mission..."

-Legend-

Meanwhile, while Asura was distributing missions, several miles south of the shopping district, a certain Greninja was kneeling in the midst of several tombstones. The grave in front of her was marked with a small image of a smiling Lucario on it, the words _Rest in Peace_ underneath.

"Hey, DJ," Katara said, a small, sad smile on her face. "Sorry I haven't been able to visit recently. You know how things are, missions every waking hour. Things get rather hectic."

Katara chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Anyway, things have been good with Team Stardust. Blitz actually evolved last week. He made such a big deal about it. He actually challenged his brother to a fight to 'show off his insanely powerful skills'." Katara chuckled, thinking back to the hyper Pokémon challenging his brother seconds after evolving. "He lost within two minutes."

Her happy expression soon fell into one of melancholy. "It's been...it's been hard without you here," she admitted a bit mournfully. "I haven't...things haven't been the same since you...left. Without you, these missions just haven't been as fun." She shook her head. "I know that it's about doing what is right, not about fun, but, when I joined the guild, I wanted to go on adventures, to see knew places and discover treasure. Sure, helping others is nice, but it was the thrill of exploration that made me love being part of Team Stardust."

Katara bowed her head. "And when you joined, things got even better. We went on so many adventures, met so many new Pokémon, we even saved the world. _Twice_! Looking back on it, every moment with you, even when we were scared and close to death, were the best moments of my life."

By that point, Katara was smiling once more, though there was an overwhelming sense of sadness in her expression. "You were my best friends and I thought we'd always be together." Katara felt her eyes beginning to get misty and was quick to wipe her eyes. "Sorry," she apologized, giving a watery laugh. "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry anymore, but it's just so hard, you know."

Katara choked down a sob. "You were always a source of strength to me. With you, I learned how to be strong on my own, but even so, I can't help but feel incomplete." Tears began to flow unbidden down her cheeks. "It honestly feels like a piece of me died when you did, as cliché as that sounds. I just...I just wish that we could have been friends longer!"

At that moment, Katara completely broke down. Weeks and weeks of sadness and anguish spilled forth as she openly sobbed in front of the grave. Memories of her time with the former human played in her mind. When she found him, their first mission, when she was kidnapped by Shiftry, when they fought against Luke, fighting the legendaries, all of it, leading up to DJ's sacrifice. All of her memories, instead of making her happy, just served to add to the grief over the fact that she would never see her friend again.

"Why?!" she shouted to no one. "Why did you have to go?!"

After an hour, Katara's heart-wrenching sobs slowly began ebb away to low sniffles. She pulled her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were bloodshot and incredibly puffy. She felt tired, exhaustively so. She looked up at the gravestone, at DJ's smiling face, and asked a single question before she drifted off into the realm of unconscious.

"Why'd you leave me?"

-Legend-

Arceus stood in the rebuilt Hall of Origins, a large mirror floating in front of him. Within the mirror, instead of the reflection of the alpha Pokémon, it showed Katara, crying before her friend's grave. A sad expression found its way upon the god's face.

"YOUNG KATARA," the alpha Pokémon spoke, his voice solemn. "YOUNG DJ'S SACRIFICE HAS PLAGUED YOUR HEART FOR SO LONG. YOUR PAIN, I CAN FEEL IT EVEN FROM HERE."

Arceus stepped to the center of the room, gazing impassively at the sealed well. "BECAUSE YOUNG DJ SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR MY SAKE, AND FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD, YOU HAVE KNOWN NOTHING BUT PAIN AND HEARTACHE AND FOR THAT, I AM SORRY. HAD I NOT BEEN SO WEAK WILLED, HE MAY STILL BE ALIVE, AND YET..."

The legendary lowered his head, appraising the thin veil of aura surrounding the well. After several minutes, his green eyes seemed to smile. "AND YET, IT WOULD APPEAR, THAT HE IS NOT ALL GONE. THE AURA HE USED TO SEAL AWAY THE NEGATIVE ENERGY STILL HOLDS A PIECE OF YOUNG DJ. HIS GENETIC MAKE-UP, HIS PERSONALIY, HIS MEMORIES, HIS SOUL, IT IS ALL STILL THERE, WAITING TO BE AWAKENED ONCE MORE."

Arceus turned back towards the floating mirror. Seeing the broken Greninja fueled his decision "FOR EVERYTHING BOTH YOU AND HE HAVE DONE FOR ME AND THIS WORLD, I WILL GRANT YOU THIS ONE WISH. I WILL RETURN YOUR FRIEND TO YOU, KATARA."

Arceus inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. His cross wheel glowed a bright gold, the gems on his wheel shining brightly. "I HOPE THIS CAN BEGIN TO MAKE AMENDS FOR ALL I HAVE DONE."

With those last words, the legendary's eyes snapped open, his emerald green irises burning with power. The golden glow of Arceus' cross wheel grew more intense with every passing second. The entire mountain began to shake as Arceus continued to exert more and more power. As if resonating with his power, the aura veil began to glow with an intense blue light. Arceus bowed his head before throwing it back, a cacophonous bellow tearing from his throat. The golden light of Arceus' cross wheel and azure glow of the veil both reached blinding proportions until the entire hall was blanketed by their combined light.

-Legend-

Back in Miracle Town, the sun was just beginning to set over the graveyard. Katara stirred before opening her eyes. Blearily, she looked around, taking note of the setting sun and encroaching darkness. She sniffed, wiping her eyes in a poor attempt at removing the blurriness from her vision.

"I guess I fell asleep," she slurred, still shaking off her fatigue.

A small glimmer of light floated in front of her face, moving with the breeze. Katara absentmindedly swatted at the light and yawned. She stretched her arms, earning a satisfying crack, when another small orb fluttered in front of her. Once more she batted away the orb without even thinking. She made to get up, already thinking of some excuse to give Asura over where she was, when yet another orb floated in front of her.

Katara was about to bat the orb away like the others when her eyes suddenly snapped open. All tiredness left her body. Looking around, she noticed several more orbs of light floating past her. Following the direction the orbs were going in, Katara gasped when she saw hundreds, maybe even thousands, of the same orbs of light swarming towards DJ's grave.

Katara watched in awe as the orbs converged on one another, forming into one solid orb of light. After several seconds, the orb began dim and shrink in on itself. As it did so, Katara could begin to make out a bipedal _thing_ in the middle of the orb. She tensed, no knowing what the light was or what was in the middle of it.

The orb of light continued to shrink until the form inside began to poke out. The being's legs, whose feet had the appearance that they were on their tiptoes, were thin and covered in black fur from the knees down while its thighs were thicker and blue, almost resembling shorts. Next to break through the lights were the beings thin blue arms and black paws, each with rounded spikes on the back of their paws. A thin blue tail followed by long pointed, canine ears of the same color were next followed by their head, which was verified that the being was indeed canine, with black fur stretching across their closed eyes and in between their ears, ending to four teardrop shaped protrusions that came from the back of the being's head. The light then disappeared completely, leaving a cream colored fur torso with a sing spike in the middle of their chest.

Katara gaped at the newcomer. It was a Lucario. A very familiar Lucario.

"D...DJ?" Katara asked tentatively in a small voice.

The Lucario's face scrunched up before their eyes opened, revealing bright blue eyes. The Lucario appeared dazed, their expression reading drowsy and tired. The aura Pokémon's gaze then found Katara, whose breath hitched at the familiar eyes of her friend, and suddenly all fatigue left their body.

"...Katara?" the Lucario asked.

Katara choked at the familiar voice. Unable to contain herself any longer, the Greninja lunged forward and tackled her friend to the ground, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Not missing a beat, DJ wound his arms around his friend and hugged her back just as fiercely, mindful of his chest spike.

A new round of sobs broke free of Katara as she clutched the Lucario tightly, afraid that he would disappear if she let go. DJ chuckled lightly, his own eyes suspiciously wet. "Hey, now. You'll stain my fur at this rate."

Katara gave a watery chuckle, but did wipe her eyes in an attempt to stem the flow of tears. "Is it...is it really you?" she asked once she had regained some control over herself.

"Yeah, it's me," DJ confirmed with a smirk. "Can't get rid of me that easily."

Katara snorted and tightened her grip. "Don't ever do something that stupid ever again!"

"No promises. You know how I am when it comes stupid ideas," DJ said teasingly, receiving another chuckle in response. DJ then, in a much more serious tone, said, "I promise you, I won't leave you again."

Katara looked up at DJ, her tear filled eyes meeting DJ's blue. She did not need to feel their connection to know that DJ was sincere. "I'll hold you to that."

DJ grinned widely before standing up, causing Katara to yelp as she was pulled up with him. "What do you say we head back to the guild house? I want to see everyone's face when they see I'm not dead!"

Katara laughed loudly at that. "That I'd love to see!"

Both Pokémon smiled at each other and made their way towards their guild house. On the other side of the world, a certain legendary smiled at the image of the duo returning home. All was right in the world.

 **The End**

Hey everyone, AuraFighter here. I would like to thank all of you for reading and supporting my story. Stardust was my first fic I ever wrote and seeing it come to an end, while sad, is satisfying and it is because of all of your support. I would also like to apologize for how Legend's Unleashed turned out. I had more legendary encounters planned for this story, even more flushed out backstories for the rest of Team Stardust, but everything just got away from me. Because of that, I want to thank you all again for sticking with my story despite its short comings. I promise that I will be more careful with Resistance and any other fic that I may write. See you all next time.


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